Communication
Our communication unit will take 3 separate lessons to complete!
During our first lesson we learned the basics about what communication is and what it means. It consists of three parts: words, tone, and nonverbals. We communicate best when all three of these parts match. We did a listening activity that demonstrated the importance of at least two people being actively engaged in communication (one speaker and at least one listener) for communication to be successful and effective.
During our first lesson we learned the basics about what communication is and what it means. It consists of three parts: words, tone, and nonverbals. We communicate best when all three of these parts match. We did a listening activity that demonstrated the importance of at least two people being actively engaged in communication (one speaker and at least one listener) for communication to be successful and effective.
During our second lesson we did two activities to again highlight the importance of using all parts of communication to accurately convey a message. First students had to use nothing but nonverbals to find a partner in the classroom (using cards from a memory game) and make some decisions about different tasks that had to be completed--ALL without any talking!!! A second activity took away our nonverbals and the interactive, reciprocal nature of communication. We sat back-to-back and tried to use JUST words to describe a simple picture to our partner so they could replicate it on a dry erase board. The first time we tried this, the partner wasn't allowed to speak, ask questions, or clarify any information. Some of us thought we were being so clear and communicating so well, but we weren't successful at all!! It showed us how important nonverbals can be and that it is important to always check for understanding when you are communicating with someone!
During our final lesson, we played two games. The first required us to depend only on our nonverbals. While sitting in a circle, we had to order ourselves from 1-7 without talking and with limited nonverbals. We didn't even have a chance to plan a strategy! It got really hard and a bit confusing. It was fun and funny, but also kind of frustrating because the goal was so simple! We again saw the importance of combining all 3 parts of communication for it to be effective and successful. Finally, we played the classic game of telephone, which limited the tone of voice we were allowed to use. This again showed us the importance of checking for understanding and how important it is for two or more people to work together and be active in the conversation to ensure accurate communication!
During our final lesson, we played two games. The first required us to depend only on our nonverbals. While sitting in a circle, we had to order ourselves from 1-7 without talking and with limited nonverbals. We didn't even have a chance to plan a strategy! It got really hard and a bit confusing. It was fun and funny, but also kind of frustrating because the goal was so simple! We again saw the importance of combining all 3 parts of communication for it to be effective and successful. Finally, we played the classic game of telephone, which limited the tone of voice we were allowed to use. This again showed us the importance of checking for understanding and how important it is for two or more people to work together and be active in the conversation to ensure accurate communication!