Spotlight on communication strategies

There are several strategies you can use to develop communication skills.

Briefly read through all the communication skills activities, then choose two that mean the most to you and work through the task.

Keep a record for yourself as you complete these activities - this will come in handy if you work on the optional final assignment.

Activities:

Practicing active listening
Finetuning non-verbal communication skills
Enhancing public speaking
Being Assertive

Note: For some of the strategies, you may need to go talk to others or look at other websites. Then you will return to this section to complete your responses.

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Activity 1: Practicing active listening

Active listening skills are important for developing respectful relationships with family, friends, teammates and other people in your life.

When you are an active listener, you are doing more than just hearing your conversation partner (the other person) talking.

You are taking an action to better understand the person such as being fully present in the moment, having good eye contact, asking questions etc.

Follow the conversation between Jake and Sarah below.
After each thing Sarah says, try to identify the skill she has used.
At the end, reflect on how well you generally do these skills in a conversation.

(This Form can also be opened in another tab if you prefer to view in full screen.)

Activity 2: Finetuning non-verbal communication skills

Have you ever heard the saying “actions speak louder than words”?

Non-verbal communication skills (facial expressions, body language, eye contact) can have an incredible impact on how information is shared and interpreted. Non-verbal communication makes up a large percentage of our daily communication with others and mastering these skills can help you become a better speaker and a better listener.

Exploring gestures. A gesture is a movement or action that communicates a message without words. Gestures are a type of non-verbal communication skill.

Part 1: Matching activity: What do these gestures mean? Drag and drop the words to match the gesture to the meaning.

Part 2: Trying out your non-verbal communication skills!

Have a conversation with a family member or friend. If you can, record yourself in action! Reflect on the non-verbal communication skills you use as a speaker and listener.

Identify your strengths and weaknesses below by dragging the skills to either "This is a strength" or "I could improve".

Further reading:

Activity 3: Enhancing public speaking

Speaking to a group of people (public speaking) involves combining verbal communication (the words you say) with non-verbal communication (body language, facial expressions, gestures etc).

Part 1: Drag the words into the correct boxes to highlight the key features of public speaking.

Part 2: How would you choose your words/topics wisely in the following scenario?

Imagine you are an expert in nutrition and exercise and were asked to give a speech. First, to a group of Primary school students with limited knowledge, then to University students who were studying nutrition and exercise for their careers.

Consider the “Word Choices for Speech”. Drop and drag the options to suit each audience.

Activity 4: Practice being assertive in communication

Ideally you should be confident in a conversation to express your views, feelings and needs and stand up for yourself, while also showing respect for other people’s views and feelings. This is called being assertive.

Part 1: Consider your communication style

Read through the slides about communication types and their words and actions: Passive | Aggressive | Assertive
Reflect on your communication style to see if it is helping or holding back your communication with others.

Part 2: Practice "I" statements

One of the best and easiest strategies to be assertive and for dealing with conflict is to use “I” statements.

“I” statements are non-judgemental and don’t blame or criticize the other person.

Read through the statements Activity 4 Practice “I” statements.docx
Practice your own "I" statements in the document.