6
Chapter 5
Developing Communication Skills
as he or she talks. Describe the differences in
how these two conversations arrived or did not
arrive at shared meanings.
Choice::
Work with
a partner who will record observations as you
carry out your research. Post your research
results on your class bulletin board.t.rionsas
14..
Research.
Attend a school event or activity
and make a list of the different forms of body
language you observe. Beside each form,
identify the nonverbal messages you
Put each message and your interpretation
a small card. Hand it to the person who sent
the nonverbal message. Explain that you are
doing a research project, and ask the person
to respond to the accuracy of the message.
Identify the gaps between the message you
received and the message that was sent. Write
a paragraph explaining your experiment and
the results of your research.
Group Option:
In
small groups, share your research and identify
similarities and differences in results.
Connect with Your
Community
15. Develop a list of words or expressions that are
unique to your particular culture, community,
or geographic area. Identify other possible
for these expressions.
Choice:
Present your information to the class in an
electronic presentation.
16.
Writing.
Pretend your report card lists your
as one level lower than what you
understood it to be. Using the self-awareness
circle, write five different I-statements that you
could use to express yourself positively to your
teacher.
Choice:
Using the same process,
give an oral demonstration of five I-statements
you could use to approach your boss about a
possible raise.
Writing.
Choose an on-the-job situation in
which communication barriers result in problems
between employees or problems between an
employee and a customer. Write a short skit
to illustrate the problem, ways to overcome
such barriers, and strategies for improving
on the job.
Choice:
With a
partner, role-play the problem and solution.
18.
Social studies, writing.
explaining how different cultural backgrounds
in your result in difficulty
communicating shared
how these difficulties could affect stereotypes
and prejudice
ways community leaders could build
healthy members
different cultural backgrounds.
Choice:
Prepare a presentation for your local chamber
of commerce or school board sharing these
potential difficulties and possible steps to help
promote clear communication.
Use Technology
19. Use the computer to design and print a
poster illustrating the importance of good
communication techniques.
Choice:
Choose
a target audience: students (preschool,
elementary, middle school, or senior high
school), families in counseling, workers on the
job, or another. Design a poster for your target
audience.
20.
Research.
Search the Internet to research
the communication skills that are used by a
counselor. Identify the skills that you feel are
most important for a counselor to be effective on
the job.
21. Use a computer program to design and print a
brochure that illustrates “Keys for Successful
Conflict Resolution.”
Choice:
Design a Web
page that covers the same information.
22.
Math, research.
Record the various nonverbal
techniques that your teachers use during
a typical day. Using a spreadsheet, list the
teachers across the top and the different types
of nonverbal techniques down the side. Tally
the total number of types of techniques used
by each teacher (not the total number of times
each technique was used). Summarize your
findings in a short paragraph, comparing the
techniques used with your opinions of each
teacher’s effectiveness in communicating. Is
one or more nonverbal techniques used by all
effective teachers?
Group option:
Work with
a partner who has the same teachers. Share
your findings with another group and compare
results.
123
Think It Through
A Breakdown in
Communication
It was late Saturday afternoon and Shayla was
sitting at the kitchen table, working on her laptop
computer. A big research paper was due on Monday
for her history class. She was hurrying to get it done
so she could go out with friends tonight.
She was annoyed because her brother had
friends over and they had just started playing a loud
video game in the next room. It was distracting her
from focusing on her paper, but she was almost
finished so she didn’t bother to move to another
room. Shayla’s dad came into the kitchen and
started taking vegetables out of the refrigerator.
“Shayla, would you please set the kitchen table
when you finish your homework?” he asked.
“Sure, dad,” Shayla replied, half-listening as she
continued typing. “I’ll be done in a few minutes.”
“Thanks,” her dad replied. “All the dishes in the
dishwasher are clean. I’m going to run up to the
store to get some green peppers for the dish I’m
making. If your mother gets home, let her know
where I am and tell her I’m making dinner.”
Shayla was absorbed in typing and didn’t
respond. She didn’t even hear the door shut as her
dad left. She had just finished her paper when the
phone rang. It was Shayla’s mom.
“I’m on my way home from the mall and thought
I would pick up a pizza for dinner,” she said. “What
kind of pizza should I get?”
Shayla told her mom what she wanted, and
then hung up the phone. She cleared away her
schoolwork and started setting the table. However,
there wasn’t enough clean silverware or plates to
finish. Just as she was wondering what to do, her
mom arrived with the pizza. A few minutes later, her
dad arrived with groceries. He noticed only half of
the table was set and then he saw the pizza box on
the counter.
“Shayla, I told you there were clean dishes in
the dishwasher,” he said. “I also told you that I was
making dinner. You should have told your mom
she didn’t need to pick up a pizza. You need to pay
attention and listen better.”
Shayla became upset and stalked out of the
kitchen.
“All I heard you say was that I should set the
table,” she muttered as she left the room. “Couldn’t
you see that I was busy?”
Questions to Guide Your
Thinking
1. At what point in the conversation did the
breakdown in communication occur?
2. What factors contributed to the communication
breakdown?
3. What caused the miscommunication to escalate
into a conflict?
4. What could Shayla and her dad have done to
make sure they communicated accurately?
124
Chapter 5
Developing Communication Skills
Chapter Summary
The communication process involves sending
and receiving messages. Understanding this process
and how it is used is important. It can help you
develop effective communication skills and get along
with others. As a sender, you need skills in sending
clear, accurate messages. As a receiver, you need to
listen well and interpret the message correctly.
You use nonverbal and verbal skills every
day whenever you communicate. In nonverbal
communication, you send messages without using
words. Through body language, you express your
thoughts, feelings, and emotions to others. Facial
expressions, gestures, and body motions are all
forms of body language that you use.
You communicate verbally by using words. You
can improve your ability to express yourself clearly by
using I-messages. This skill gives you more control
over what you say to others. Besides sending clear
messages, you need skills in receiving messages.
Active listening is a skill that helps you to interpret
and understand messages clearly.
Your self-esteem, emotional state, and
environment can affect the way messages are
communicated. In addition, certain factors can get
in the way of good communication, such as a closed
mind, mixed messages, and prejudice. Once you know
how these barriers affect communication, you can
work to improve your speaking and listening skills.
Good communication skills are needed to resolve
conflicts in a positive way. Conflict resolution is a
step-by-step skill you can develop to resolve conflicts
successfully and build relationships. First, identify
the problem. Next, identify and accept problem
ownership. Finally, reach an agreeable solution to the
problem through negotiation and compromise.
Assess…
Your Knowledge
1. What types of nonverbal and verbal messages
help communicate a shared message?
2. What are four factors that could interfere with or
prevent good communication from taking place?
3. What are the steps for resolving conflict?
Your Understanding
4. How does the communication process produce
shared meanings?
5. How could you-statements affect
communication that takes place between two
people?
6. How could low self-esteem affect a person’s
success at communication?ation
7. How do negative communication patterns affect
relationships?
Your Skills
8. Express your own thoughts, feelings,
intentions by using five different types of
I-statements.
9. Give an example of how you would use active
listening skills to help a friend make a decision.
10. What steps would you take to solve a problem of
failing grades in a class?
Think Critically
11.
Writing.
Identify a situation that upset you. Write
a paragraph describing this situation.
the self-awareness circle, write I-statements to
express your personal observations, thoughts,
feelings, intentions, and actions related to this
situation. Summarize whether you sent the
message you intended to send.flictsituations
12. As a class, identify several conflict
(consider personal experiences, current events,
or historical references). Choose one of the
conflicts and describe how it was resolved.
Evaluate the techniques used to handle the
conflict. Explain how the steps in conflict
resolution did or could have enhanced
process.
Group option.
In small groups,
a role-play to illustrate how the steps of conflict
resolution could be applied to resolving this
conflict. Perform the role-play for the class.activean
13.
Research.
Assess your ability to be
listener. Try an experiment in which you use
the active listening skills of checking out and
reflecting when someone is trying to share
confidential message with you. Compare this
conversation to one in which you deliberately
avoid looking at the speaker and remain passive
Chapter review pages
reinforce concepts and
assess your learning
Think It Through case study
helps you practice reasoning
and problem-solving skills by
analyzing a practical problem.
124
Chapter 5
Developing C
ommunication
Skills
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
4
Chapter Summary
reviews the major
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Assess… Your Knowledge and
Assess… Your Understanding
questions evaluate how well
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Chapter 5
Develo
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125
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