nurturing self-awareness of one's own communication …

“The New Literacy Set” Project 2015-2017

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NURTURING SELF-AWARENESS OF ONE'S OWN COMMUNICATION (SELF-CRITICISM) AND SELF-EMPOWERMENT

Communication literacy curricula Workshop number 1

Name of the institution: Institut Carles Vallbona Date: April 2016 Goal of the workshop: To help students realise the importance of their communication with others and develop their skills in order to improve the way they give information to others. To understand the communication process, be aware of how information is lost when it is being conveyed from one person to another and to learn to identify the problems caused by the poor transmission of information. Learning outcomes: At the end of the lesson the student will be able to:

1. The cognitive domain (knowledge-based):

Recognise the characteristics and features of their own communication.

Recognise the characteristics of effective communication.

Determine the advantages and disadvantages of their own communication.

Identify and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of a communication process.

2. The Affective domain (emotive-based):

Argue and justify the benefits of effective communication.

Identify and evaluate their communication process.

Recognise the need for improvements in their communication process to make

it more effective.

3. The Psychomotor domain (action-based):

The students will be able to put into practice the communication knowledge they have acquired.

They will be able to conduct effective communication in real-life situations.

Teacher qualifications: The competencies that teachers should have include general professional knowledge and skills, knowledge and application of new methods of learning and teaching (ICT – Padlet creation and usage) and knowledge and application of evaluation and self-evaluation methods. Anticipated age of participants: The workshops should be suitable for students aged between 14 and 18.


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Class methodology: Didactic type of class: The class is more heuristic, as the students arrive at their knowledge and become more reflexive. They reach conclusions based on experiential situations. Sociological form of class: The workshop is primarily based on practice and demonstrations, working alone, in pairs and in a group. Ideally the group should not be more than 15 people for the introductory activity. Working methods: During the class, different methods are used including talking, giving a demonstration, practical work, critical thinking, debating, cooperative learning, individual and group reflection. Class resources and supplies: Room wide enough to walk round without tables. A computer with a projector, 7 blindfolds and sheets of paper. Estimated cost: The estimated cost of performing this workshop will be minimal. Time schedule: The workshop will last about 60'-90'. It would be a good idea to perform the activity at the beginning of the year, so students are aware of the importance of effective communication. Courses: The content of this workshop is suitable for tutorials, language classes and civics and ethics classes, among others. Evaluation: Students who have participated in the workshop will be evaluated using a rubric that includes items on attitude, participation, expression (giving instructions) and respect. There could also be an oral self-evaluation, based on the reflections on the communication and the possible weaknesses that make a communication process less effective.

Literature:

For the students: Not necessary.

For the teachers:

Fiske, J. (1990.) Introduction to Communication Studies, New York, Routledge.

Craig T. R., Muller, L. H. (2007.) Theorizing Communication: Reading Across Traditions,

London, SAGE Publications.

Burnett, P. C. (2002.) Teacher praise and feedback and students’ perceptions of the

classroom environment, Educational Psychology, 22(1), 1–16

Brockner, J., Derr, W. R., & Laing, W. N. (1987.) Self-esteem and reactions to negative

feedback: Towards greater generalizability, Journal of Research in Personality, 21, 318–

334.

Johnson, D.W. (1993). Reaching out: Interpersonal effectiveness and self-actualization.

Boston, Allyn and Bacon


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https://www.anxietybc.com/self-help/effective-communication-improving-your-social-

skills

http://www.selfawarenessworkshops.com/4573/self-awareness-and-effective-

communication

https://www.anxietybc.com/self-help/effective-communication-improving-your-social-skills

https://www.anxietybc.com/self-help/effective-communication-improving-your-social-skills

http://www.selfawarenessworkshops.com/4573/self-awareness-and-effective-communication



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WORKSHOP ARTICULATION INTRODUCTION: Time: 40 minutes. Content: Importance of effective communication.

Goal: The goal of this introductory activity is to learn how a message distorts.

Material: A room without tables nor chairs is needed as well as 7 blindfolds.

Development: For the initial activity, we will start by splitting the group in 2 through a game. For instance, students are asked to line against the wall according to their height or the length of their hair or their birthday without saying anything. This last version can be used if they know each other previously. Then the teacher takes 7 students and places them in the centre of the room in a circle facing inside it. The other 7 students are required to watch and will blindfold the eyes of the students in the circle when the teacher says so.

The teacher explains the activity: No words can be spoken during the whole activity. When everyone is blindfolded, the teacher will make a secret set of movements to the person on his/her right. For instance: moving his fingers on the shoes of the other, pressing one knee, and tickling the other's arm. When he/she is finished doing these actions, he/she can unfold his/her eyes. Now is the turn of the other person to repeat these actions to the person next to him/her. This person will repeat these actions to the person on his/her right as well and when the circle is closed up, everyone will be with their eyes open. Last, the teacher receives the movement "message" and everyone will learn how much the message has changed from the beginning, as


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the teacher explains the original movements to everyone. The goal of this activity is to watch how the message fades out and gets distorted. Finally, the 7 remaining students who have been watching can explain how, when and who induced the changes in the movements and a small discussion among the students can be run to try to understand why the message has changed so much. It is the moment for these 7 other students to try to perform the same activity and the first 7 can watch. Now a student can propose a different set of movements to start with. Invariably the message never reaches the end the same as it was in the beginning and this is the basis for the teacher to explain how important effective communication is. So, if this lack of communication happens with a very easy message (touch or not touch), it is no wonder that with more complex messages (classes, conferences, news...) so many people understand different ideas and disagreements arise.


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To avoid this, it is important to be aware of how we communicate, not only how we send the message but also how the other may receive it and how we receive any information from others. Once the students are focused and interested on the goal of the workshop, we can start the following activity. DEVELOPMENT:

Time: 20 min.

Content: Presentation EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. SLIDE 2: Dalai Lama once said: “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But, when you listen, you may learn something new.” SLIDE 3: Communication is the transmission of an idea or feeling so that the sender and receiver share the same understanding. Communication is not a mysterious process. It takes place when the ideas from your mind are transferred to another’s and arrive intact, complete, and coherent. SLIDE 4: Most common ways to communicate are:

- spoken word - visual images - written word - body language


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SLIDE 5: The communication process can be described as follows:

SLIDE 6: Why is it important to communicate effectively?

❏ Effective communication helps to understand a person or situation in a better way.

❏ It enables us to solve the differences, build trust and respect in the organization.

❏ Sometimes our message is misunderstood or we misunderstand the received message. Effective communication helps us to resolve problems from both points of view.

❏ Effective communication helps us to connect well with colleagues, teachers, parents, etc.

❏ It helps us in decision making. SLIDE 7: Before learning to communicate effectively, we should learn which are the barriers of communication that make communication ineffective:


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SLIDE 8: Common barriers to effective communication are as follows:

Emotional barriers and taboos. Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents, use of

jargon. Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. Differences in perception and viewpoint, cultural differences.

SLIDE 9: The 7c’s of effective communication:

❏ Completeness

❏ Conciseness

❏ Consideration

❏ Clarity

❏ Concreteness

❏ Courtesy

❏ Correctness SLIDE 10: COMPLETENESS: ·Message is complete when it contains all facts the reader or listener needs for the reaction you desire. ·Communication senders need to assess their message through the eyes of the receivers to be sure they have included all relevant information. ·Provide all necessary information. ·Answer all questions asked. ·Give something extra when desirable. SLIDE 11: CONCISENESS: ·Eliminate wordy expressions. ·Include only relevant statements ·Be focused. ·Shorten & avoid long explanations. ·Avoid gushing politeness. ·Avoid unnecessary repetitions. -Use short forms for the second time. -Use pronouns. SLIDE 12: CONSIDERATION: Consideration implies "stepping into the shoes of others": know the audience’s viewpoints, background, mind-set, education level, etc.


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Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. SLIDE 13: CLARITY: ·Emphasize one specific message, goal or idea at a time. ·Avoid vagueness. ·Avoid technical terms which may be hard to understand. ·Avoid the possibility of misinterpretation. As much as possible, your audience shouldn’t have to "read between the lines". SLIDE 14: CONCRETENESS: · Be precise in presenting facts and figures. · Use active voice more than the passive. · Use action verbs to make idea clear. · Use of image building words where necessary. SLIDE 15: COURTESY: · Courtesy in a message implies that the message should show the sender’s expression as well as respect the receiver. · The sender's message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. SLIDE 16: CORRECTNESS: · At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. · The term correctness, as applied to effective communications also mean three characteristics: -> Use the right level of language. -> Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words. -> Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. SLIDE 17: Strategies to apply seven C’s of communication: Emotions should be managed in a conversation. If you are getting angry, you have to calm yourself by: * Speaking to the other person as if you were not angry. * Avoid the use of the word “you” - this avoids blaming. * Nod your head to assure the other person that you heard him. * Maintain eye contact with him. SLIDE 18: Stop communicating ineffectively: Gardener misunderstanding LINK TO VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1G1Pho7Ls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1G1Pho7Ls


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SLIDE 19: Stop communicating ineffectively: the bear’s list LINK TO VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSUBl1WNxk

SLIDE 20: To achieve effective communication, we must have:

- self-awareness - self-criticism - self-empowerment

On the last slide entitled “And what about us...” the importance of reaching the self-

empowerment is highlighted, introducing so the work of self-awareness and self-criticism that

students are now required to do.

Content: Presentation SELF-AWARENESS IN COMMUNICATION. Before the presentation, the teacher tells the students that they will be asked to develop a grid to evaluate their classmates in a communication experiment. So they will need to take notes individually along the presentation and then in groups of 2-3 propose a grid with the items which have been explained. The presentation talks about what communication is, the communication process, its elements, the features of a good communication and the barriers that hinder an effective communication. SLIDES 2, 3 AND 4: SELF-AWARENESS: When you are aware of your own communication and how you come across to people you are able to practice effective communication. Leaders who do not understand their own behaviour, and how they are perceived by others, create communication glitches like misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Here are some examples of the connection between self-awareness and effective communication:

Self-awareness means that you know how your thoughts, emotions and behaviours

affect others and you’re able to manage yourself so that the other person is an important

part of the conversation.

Self-awareness helps you be more comfortable with yourself so you can relate to others

with genuine confidence and kindness.

Self-awareness allows you to get out of the way and let people tell you what’s

important to them without letting your stuff complicate the interaction.

Self-awareness gives you the ability to shift from always having to talk (the result of ego)

to listening to people instead.

Self-awareness helps you communicate with others on a deeper level because you make

them feel valued and important.

Self-awareness helps you understand how others see you and how you can adapt to

make more meaningful connections and build stronger relationships.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSUBl1WNxk


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Self-awareness helps you collaborate with others.

(http://www.selfawarenessworkshops.com/4573/self-awareness-and-effective-communication)

SLIDE 5: Dimensions of Personal Empowerment

The following ‘dimensions of personal empowerment’ are based on the belief that the greater

the range of coping responses an individual develops, the greater their chance of coping

effectively with diverse life situations. These dimensions are:

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness involves understanding our individual character and how we are likely to

respond to situations. This enables us to build on our positive qualities and be aware of any

negative traits which may reduce our effectiveness. Self-aware people make conscious

decisions to enhance their lives whenever possible, learning from past experiences. That's

really important in the communication process.

Values

Values are opinions or beliefs that are important to us but of which we are not always aware.

They can be any kind of belief or perceived obligation, anything we prefer and for any reason.

The reasons we may prefer one thing over another, or choose one course of action over

another, may not always be obvious or known; there may be no apparent reason for our

values. Nevertheless, our values are important to us as individuals. In order to be self-aware it

is necessary to be aware of our values, to critically examine them and to accept that our values

may be different from those of others.

Skills

An individual's skills are the main resource which enables them to achieve their desired goals.

Skills can be gained through experience, practice, education and training. It is only by

developing such skills that individual values can be translated into action.

Information

Knowledge or information is necessary in the development of self-awareness and skills. It is an

essential skill in itself to know where to find appropriate information. Without information, the

choices open to people are limited, both in their personal and working lives. The Internet has

provided an easy way for everybody to access huge amounts of information very quickly and

easily. The problem is then centred around the quality of the information found, and the skill

set is concerned with finding accurate and reliable information.



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Goals

Setting goals is a means by which an individual can take charge of his/her life. The process of

setting a goal involves people thinking about their values and the direction that they would like

their lives to follow. Choices are made through reflection followed by action. Goals should

always be both specific and realistic. Setting personal goals gives us a sense of direction in life,

this direction is essential to personal empowerment.

A summary of what has been explained can be done by the whole class on the blackboard or in

the computer with the projector. A mind map online tool such as https://bubbl.us/ can be

used.

Once the final mind-map is agreed on, each group of 2 students propose a grid to evaluate

their classmates for the following activity. First, the grid is not shared, so the students will not

know how they are evaluated.

DEVELOPMENT:

Time: 20 min.

Content: "Am I Explaining myself? Do you Understand me?” Self-evaluation of how students communicate. Using the grids developed in the previous activity, students will evaluate how a pair of volunteers communicate and we will give them the opportunity to watch themselves in the process. This activity is designed to work on different aspects of communication, such as the difficulties

which can be found in a communication process due to the way we transmit or receive a

message.

First we need one or two pairs of volunteer students. One member of each pair goes out of the

class, so as not to hear the explanation. The other student is then asked to take a sheet of

paper, fold it in two and cut it in half. He/she has to do the same again with each piece of paper

to get four pieces. Then the student must place the four pieces of paper on the floor to shape a

"T", as in the picture.

https://bubbl.us/


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Once the volunteer has done that (the "T"), the other volunteer comes back without seeing the figure (eyes closed or blindfolded). The figure can also be undone. The two students are now placed back to back, and the student who has formed the "T" gives verbal instructions to his/her partner to do the same and then the partner has to say what the figure is. The activity finishes when the student who is doing the "T" says he/she has finished. The expected outcome is that this student shapes a different figure to the one expected, due to a lack of information. Other students group themselves in teams of 4 people and write a report of all the actions that

the pair does. Specially those about lack or poor or inefficient communication.

During the process, we record the communication process between the two: Are questions asked? Does the person who is trying to imitate the composition get the proper information? Are the questions useful to get the proper information? Does somebody get angry? What is the reaction of the other one? Note if the final figure obtained is the same.

With the report written, each group of 4 people will use the 2 previously designed grids to grade the volunteers. As the grids were proposed in teams of 2, they will need to decide which is the best grid of the 2 they have made. Surely they will have to update them and reach an agreement to propose a new one. The teacher will make the students to think about:

How emotions affect communication: courtesy, consideration. Clarity in the message. Concreteness.


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Completeness. Barriers: distraction, time pressures, information overload, retention...

Again the grids are not shared with the whole group, but now the number of grids is the half of before. DEVELOPMENT: Time: 20 minutes. Content: Drawing dictation The goal of this activity is to draw pictures of what our partner will dictate to us verbally. So

effective communication and listening attentively will be required.

The students will work in teams of 2. One member of the pair will be looking at the blackboard,

and the other will face opposite. They will sit back to back. The teacher will draw on the

blackboard an easy picture (see examples below). The member of the pair who looks to the

board will give instructions to his partner who will try to draw the same picture which is on the

blackboard, without looking it. It is

forbidden to ask questions or ask for any

help.

Sample of the drawings:


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Once finished everyone will use their own grids to evaluate themselves. One by one they will have to explain in front of the class:

what is the final drawing what problems occurred during communication how did they feel just listening or just dictating without interacting which has been the score using the grid opinion about the fairness of the grid they designed

The activity can be done again, now the one who was drawing dictates and words can be used, asking questions. The position of the students can now be different: they sit facing each other, but of course the picture on the board cannot be seen by the student who is drawing. Now the explanation in front of the class could be:

Compare the drawings with the possibility of speaking. Did you use the same time in

the two processes?

How did other language influence the process: gaze, facial expression ...?

What conclusions did you reach? Eventually a final grid to record the different features of a communication process should be agreed on with the comments of all the groups. CONCLUSION: Time: 20 minutes. Content: Students can give their opinion and answer some questions about the activity. Finally, the students will have 10 minutes to write messages to improve their communication on the on-line board (http://padlet.com/mtalaver_xtec/vxhrrdklmf0g). Using this information, and their own experience, students express how they experienced it: how they felt, what happened, what difficulties they saw in communicating, if they have had a similar example in real life, how they think we got this result, etc. The prompt for creating these messages could be: How do you think communication between people can be improved?

http://padlet.com/mtalaver_xtec/vxhrrdklmf0g


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ATTACHMENTS: a) Video link for the presentation: The bear's list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSUBl1WNx

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Gardener misunderstanding:


b) Padlet link:


c) Image of the figure to be achieved:






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e) Rubric:

“SELF-AWARENESS COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES”– EVALUATION WORKSHOP

Level – Cycle: .................. – GROUP: …........ Year: …................

EVALUATOR: Date:

The goal of this rubric is to evaluate the activity “Am I explaining myself? Do you understand me?” The score is 1 (needs to improve) to 4 (excellent).

ELEMENTS NEEDS TO IMPROVE 1

SATISFACTORY 2

GOOD 3

EXCELLENT 4

ATTITUDE (25%)

Often has a negative attitude towards the task.

Usually has a negative attitude towards the task.

Often has a positive attitude towards the task.

Always has a positive attitude towards the task.

PARTICIPATION (25%)

Not engaged. Needs frequent reminders to stick to the task, often not prepared.

Peripherally engaged and usually cooperative, respectful and prepared.

Actively engaged in pair and group work. Generally cooperative, respectful and prepared.

Actively engaged and may take a leadership role. Always cooperative, respectful and well prepared.

GIVING INSTRUCTIONS (25%)

Student gives incorrect instructions.

Some instructions are confusing.

The instructions are quite clear.

The instructions are very clear. There is extra clarification.

RESPECTS CLASSMATES' IDEAS / DECISIONS (25%)

Verbally disparages ideas of classmates, wants things their way.

Usually sides with a classmate who has similar ideas to their own.

Usually withholds disparaging remarks about the ideas of others; supports others' ideas.

Respects opinions of classmates, supports group decisions.

f) PowerPoint presentation: Effective Communication g) PowerPoint presentation: Self-awareness in Communication

nurturing self-awareness of one's own communication …

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