Effective communication
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A part of being able to maintain positive and respectful relationships with people is being able to communicate effectively. Effective communication includes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Non-Verbal communication includes the physical gestures you use (e.g. folding your arms) and facial expressions. Verbal communication is the way in which you modulate your voice and the actual words you use to communicate.
Reachout.com identifies the following acronym for effective non-verbal communication.
S - Face the person squarely
O - Open posture, no crossed arms or fidgeting
L - Lean towards the person, not too much but just enough to show interest
E - Maintain eye contact, without staring
R - Be relaxed, don't fidget and be comfortable
Activity 1: How do you think these verbal and non-verbal strategies influence communication? If someone was smiling, talking in a happy tone and was using hand gestures to grab your attention, what can you conclude about how the person is feeling? What body language might an angry person use?
Activity 2: Would you use the same verbal and non-verbal communication strategies talking with your friends at school that you would delivering a formal speech? How would your communication strategies change?
Class activity 1: In groups of three, role play using different non-verbal and verbal communication styles. E.g. role play what aggressive communication would like, what would excited communication look like? In what situations might you see these different communication strategies?
If you would like to work on your written and academic communication skills, check out the literacy skills resources on this website.
Reachout.com identifies the following acronym for effective non-verbal communication.
S - Face the person squarely
O - Open posture, no crossed arms or fidgeting
L - Lean towards the person, not too much but just enough to show interest
E - Maintain eye contact, without staring
R - Be relaxed, don't fidget and be comfortable
Activity 1: How do you think these verbal and non-verbal strategies influence communication? If someone was smiling, talking in a happy tone and was using hand gestures to grab your attention, what can you conclude about how the person is feeling? What body language might an angry person use?
Activity 2: Would you use the same verbal and non-verbal communication strategies talking with your friends at school that you would delivering a formal speech? How would your communication strategies change?
Class activity 1: In groups of three, role play using different non-verbal and verbal communication styles. E.g. role play what aggressive communication would like, what would excited communication look like? In what situations might you see these different communication strategies?
If you would like to work on your written and academic communication skills, check out the literacy skills resources on this website.
References
Reachout.com. (2014). Tips for communicating, retrieved from http://au.reachout.com/Tips-for-communicating
Page developed by Katelyn Carter
Page developed by Katelyn Carter