Effective Communication for Teachers Elizabeth Carlton Amber Duncan Ashley Lloyd Philip Neal University of Alabama

By PresenterMedia.com

Objectives This presentation identifies the attributes and skills needed to be an effective communicator. What will be covered:

Definition of Communication

Challenges to Effective Communication

Key Components & Strategies to Effective Communication

What is Communication?

Human communication is the means by which information is transmitted from one person to anotherInformation is exchanged between the sender who delivers a message and the receiver who decodes it and responds with feedback.

(Friend & Cook, 2010).

What is Communication? Communication involves talking, listening, managing interpersonal conflict, and addressing concerns together. Communication is.. Transactional Multifaceted Continuous Learned (Dettmer, 2009)

Challenges to Effective Communication

Insufficient time for dialogue listening skills presentation of words of Words

Poor

Poor

Ambiguity

Physical

barriers (e.g. noise, temperature)

Challenges to Effective Communication

Being judgmental /critical

Making
Lack

assumptions

of respect

Conflicting

perceptions, interpretations & values

Language

Components to Effective Communication An effective communicator is aware of the audience and carefully chooses how to communicate an idea through logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (character). For communication to be effective, speakers must carefully consider word choice, word order, and other stylistic devices with the audience in mind.

(Conderman & Colleagues, 2010)

Effective Communication = Being a Good Listener Although people spend about 50% of their communication time listening to others, their listening effectiveness is only about 25% Focus on main ideas Make eye contact

Dont interrupt
Paraphrase to aid understanding (Friend & Cook, 2010)

Use Responsive Listening skills

Focus on speaker verbally & nonverbally

Responsive Listening
Implies

that one is able to communicate their genuine understanding (empathy), acceptance, and concern for the speaker while increasing understanding of the issue by clarifying the speakers statement. verbal & nonverbal reinforcers that encourage the

Use

speaker (i.e. I see, Yes/ head nods, eye contact)

Show State

understanding of the message (review/paraphrasing)

your own feelings

(Dettmer, 2009)

Build Effective Feedback Skills Concentrate on specific behaviors Keep feedback impersonal Keep feedback goal oriented Keep feedback well timed Ensure understanding Ensure feedback is directed toward the behavior that is controllable by the recipient

(Dettmer, 2009)

Nonverbal Communication Facial Feedback

PLAN for successful communication Who is your audience If you have more than one audience, prioritize Evaluate your goals Choose your messages Make message meaningful Choose your media Produce the media materials Implement effective communication strategy Clarify misunderstandings Evaluate & Reflect on meeting

Ways to Communicate in a Collaborative Setting

Assessments (Questionnaires/Surveys) Newsletters Dialogue

Small-Group Focus

Groups
Development Workshops

Professional Study

Groups (Hollingsworth, 2001)

References
Conderman, G., et. al. (2010). What Teachers Should Say and How
They Should Say It. Kappa Delta Pi Record , 46(4), 175-181. Dettmer, P., et. al. (2009). Collaboration, Consultation, and Teamwork. Columbus, OH: Pearson. Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2010). Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Hollingsworth, H. (2001). We Need to Talk: Communication Strategies for Effective Collaboration. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(5), 4-8.

Additional Resources http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html National Communication Association http://www.natcom.org/ University of Maine Cooperative Extension http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/pdfpubs/6103.pdf The National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/index.cfm Association for Conflict Resolution http://www.acrnet.org/