COMMUNICATION Communication Learning Objectives We will Relate the

COMMUNICATION

Communication • Learning Objectives. We will: – Relate the experience of the Communication Traps game to basic principles of communication. – Understand how listening can be an important part of communication. – Develop strategies to overcome barriers to communication. – Practice some skills of effective instruction. 2

Communication 3

Communications Trap debrief questions 1. 2. 3. 4. What communication challenges did you face as a team? How did this game simulate an actual team situation? Did you trust your leader? What sorts of barriers to success could the cones represent? 5. What types of communication were used in this game? 6. How could you have communicated more clearly? 7. Do you think the first or last team member had an easier time working through the maze? 4

Give examples of various forms of communication. 5

White Board List • Verbal? • Nonverbal? 6

Communication “Back to Gilwell” 7

• • • Gilwell Song The circle with a dot in it, on Baden-Powell’s gravestone (the trail symbol for “I have gone home. ”) BSA uniforms, patches, Wood Badge beads Wood Badge icon (Axe and Log) The Gilwell Gazette, including the agenda of the day These are all forms of communication (verbal and nonverbal). Briefly discuss with the group what messages they convey and what makes them effective (or not). 8

Verbal Communication 9

Verbal Communication • • • In the session on Values, Mission, and Vision, everyone had the experience of observing President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver speeches – that is, using oral communication. What are some of the things that made those speeches effective? The messages were of importance The messages presented visions that could affect the lives of the listeners The speakers established themselves as authorities. They conveyed the sense that they knew what they were talking about. The speakers believed in what they were presenting. The speakers got to the point. They did not waste the listeners’ time. The speakers used personal skills of speaking, body language, tone of voice, and charisma to get their points across. We are going to the moon! I have a dream! 10

Effective Communication First Aid Medical Emergency Form Who: Philmont Expedition 7 30 (8 Scouts, 2 Leaders) What: Bear attack – two Scouts mauled Where: Lovers’ Leap Camp When: One hour ago Why: We need assistance How: Bring an ambulance, medics, and first aid supplies. A really big bear trap could also prove useful. 11

• Pretend for a moment that this message is real. • What is its impact? • If it grabs your attention, why? • What are its strengths as a form of communication? 12

Basic Blueprint of Communication • A Sender • A Message • A Receiver 13

Aristotle broke down communication into three parts: A sender, a message, and a receiver. That was more than 2, 000 years ago, and it is still true today. It applies to all forms of communication – spoken, written, music, film, and even pantomime. In a way, Aristotle’s theory even applied this morning in the Zulu Toss game. Think of the balls as messages. The game has senders who are trying to toss their messages to others – the intended receivers. 14

Effective Listening as a Communication Tool • Good communication begins with good listening. • What is the most effective communication? • Communication is a two way process. 15

èGood communication begins with good listening, both on the part of the receiver and on the part of the sender. In the “Listening to Learn” session, we discussed the importance of paying attention to what others are saying, their body language, etc. èThe most effective communication provides what the listeners need in a manner that engages their minds. It also engages the minds of the senders of the information. Whether they are communicating with one person or a thousand, they “listen to their audiences by paying attention to the spoken and unspoken signals that indicate whether the message is getting through. èCommunication, then, is a two-way process. Both the sender and the receiver have responsibilities to make it happen. Feedback from the receiver helps guide the sender. 16

Engaging the Audience • “Is this a good presentation? ” • “What do you want? ” • Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue 17

Engaging the Audience “I want this presentation to be a success. If it doesn’t seem to be going well, I want you to let me know. If it’s not working, let’s do something about it and try to make it better. ” When I start with that statement, how do you respond? How does it make you feel as a listener? Uncomfortable? Included? More engaged in the process? Have you ever had a speaker ask you to participate like that? Or a teacher? An employer? Anyone else conveying information to you? Probably not. Most of the time we have a preconceived notion of how a presentation will go, both as speaker or audience. The speech is written out, the presentation is all prepared, and we’re going to push through it no matter what. If there is printed material or Power. Point slides to accompany the presentation, we can feel even more locked into a one way street approach to communicating. 18

“What do you want? ” • This is the most important question to consider when preparing a program. 19

We want knowledge. We want to learn a skill. We want to understand something. A speaker may not actually verbalize that question to an audience. But by having this question in mind, the speaker is going to be more aware of how an audience is responding, and thus more likely to open up a presentation and adjust it to better fit their needs. “What do you want? ” If this is an unusual question for speakers to ask adults, think how rare it is for us to ask it of young people. So often we are sure we know what is best for them and we forge ahead without taking notice of the audience— the Scouts in our units, the young people in our lives. Effective communication must be two way. If we don’t know what other people want, there is little chance we can give it to them. 20

Feedback • Start Stop Continue 21

So, how do we get feedback? We teach our youth how to use an assessment and feedback tool called SSC, for Start, Stop, Continue. This model allows a person to collect information and then impart suggestions in a nonthreatening manner. It begins with the simple question of “What would you start doing that you are not currently doing? ” It then asks if there is anything that the person or group should stop doing. It ends with a focus on the positive—what is working well and should be continued? We will use this SSC tool as a part of our daily assessments and as a way to deliver feedback to each other. You do not always have to have a Start or a Stop. If nothing is wrong, don’t try to fix it! 22

Barriers to Effective Communication • Lack of common ground. • • • Lack of sincerity. Lack of authority Lack of clarity. Poor presentation skills Lack of receptiveness. Environment. 23

We have all received calls from telemarketers – most of us hate them. But why? What are the barriers to effective communication that a telemarketer must overcome? • Lack of Common ground. The telemarketer knows nothing about us and is aware of no shared interest except that we have a telephone and we probably have a credit card. • Lack of sincerity. The telemarketer is probably interested only in making a sale, not in our long term satisfaction with a product or service. • Lack of authority. The telemarketer is probably hired simply to make the calls and read a script. We suspect that he or she is probably unqualified to answer questions of substance about the product. • Lack of clarity. The telemarketer may exaggerate, blur the truth, or fail to mention weaknesses of a product. • Poor presentation skills. Telemarketers may badger people, argue with them, or be bored, distracted, or barely there. • Lack of receptiveness. A telemarketer is not receptive to any needs we may have, other than the desire for the product or service. Any discussion that isn’t leading toward a sale is considered wasted time. • Environment. Telemarketers disrupt our personal or family time, often calling during the dinner hour. This intrusion into the home environment generally makes people less receptive to their message than if they were to receive that message in the mail, for example. And yet, even with all these drawbacks, telemarketing is successful often enough for many companies to invest millions of dollars in it. Just think how powerful communication can be when people take the time to overcome these barriers. 24

Ways to Ensure Good Communication • • Common Ground Sincerity Authority Clarity 25

Ways to Assure Good Communication Common Ground. An important point of the Who Me game last evening was to learn something about the people in your patrol. The more we know about each other, the greater the common experience we share and the easier communication becomes. Sincerity. A speaker must care about the message and the receiver. Authority. A speaker should know what he is talking about. There will be times, though, when a speaker is not an expert in a subject. What becomes important then is the willingness to learn along with a group. A Scout leader who knows nothing about constellations can bring a star chart along on a campout. He might say, “I’ve never used one of these before, but I’d sure like to learn. Let’s figure this out together. ” While his technical skill may not be high, his ability as a communicator permits him to maintain his author ity as he engages his Scouts in an interesting learning experience. Clarity. Speakers who care about their messages and their audiences are more likely to communicate with clarity. Speak to the target audience on their level and use terms they understand. You can usually tell by their expressions if they are getting the message. Sometimes you have to ask what they already know and then spend time correcting misperceptions or providing background information. Good Presentation Skills. Think about the presentation skills you’ve seen during this course that enhanced communication. Can you suggest a few presentation methods that can interfere with good communication? Nervous habits that get in the way of conveying a message. Perhaps we speak too quickly or too slowly. We might be able to improve eye contact or do a better job with body language. Did we devote sufficient time to preparing the messages we intend to present. Receptiveness. How can a speaker tell what his or her audience wants? How can you assess the way your listeners are responding to a presentation? If things aren’t going well, are we willing to ask what we might do differently? Later this week we will dis cuss ways to provide effective feedback. Receiving feedback from interested listen ers can help any speaker become more effective. Environment The comfort of an audience can have a large impact on their ability and willingness to listen well. Consider the setting in which you will make a presentation or lead a discussion. Consider the temperature, distractions, and lighting as well as seating arrangements and ways to enhance the physical comfort of audience members. How many are familiar with the JLT video? How does SM arrange Chairs? 26

Communication in a Digital Era • • • E mail Text messaging Blogs Facebook or other “social networking” sites Twitter 27

Communication in a Digital Era Ask the group: How many of you use e mail? How many send text messages? How many blog or read blogs? Who has a Facebook account? Who uses Twitter? These are all ways to communicate using digital technology. Today’s youth are masters of this! But there are issues we must be aware of, and to teach our youth to watch out for. In today’s digital era, people communicate in many different ways. Gone are the days of letter and telephone calls. In today’s era communication moves fast and you must be prepared to handle that speed. Scouts communicate in a much different way than you or I might communicate. They will use not only e mail and cell phones but might communicate using text messaging and social networks as well. Brainstorm with the group: What are some of the pitfalls of e mail? What are some of the downsides to texting and tweets? What must you be careful of with Facebook and other social networking sites? 28

Communication Rules in a Digital Era • The responsibility for anything you write is yours alone • Be Authentic • Consider Your Audience • Exercise Good Judgment • Respect Copyrights and Fair Use • Remember to Protect Personal Information 29

Communication Rules in a Digital Era When communicating with either Scouts or adults through electronic media, here a few important rules to remember: 1. The responsibility for anything you write is yours alone. Oren Michaels, CEO of Mashery. com, explains that “people tend to interpret having the ‘right’ to express themselves online as implying a lack of consequences when they say stupid things. ” That’s not the case. You need to take responsibility for what you write, and exercise good judgment and common sense. 2. Be Authentic. Always include your name in anything you e mail or post online. If you are embarrassed to attach your name to it, you should probably think twice about posting it. 3. Consider Your Audience Always consider who might be reading you post or e mail. While a form of communication might be addressed to a colleague or parent, remember, with the push of a button, another member of the household could distribute that e mail to an infinite number of people. There is no privacy in electronic posting or commenting. 4. Exercise Good Judgment Always refrain from comments that could be interpreted as demeaning, inflammatory, or racially charged. It is important to remember that in digital communication, because there is no body language or facial expressions , a comment you might think is funny could actually be taken as offensive. 5. Respect Copyrights and Fair Use “A Scout is honest. ” Copying or downloading copyrighted material without paying the owner of that material is stealing. Make the decision that you will honor the intellectual property of others and encourage those around you to do the same. Downloading software or music illegally is the same as walking into a store and stealing a CD off the shelf. 6. Remember to Protect Personal Information Your personal information does not belong posted on the Internet. Be cautious where you put your private information and who you are sharing it with. Remember, everything is not always as it appears on the Internet. Online communication is a great tool. Remember to use common sense and it will strengthen your troop, pack, or crew, not damage it. 30

Effective Communication and the Teaching of Skills • The teaching of skills is an important use of effective communication • Example: tying a woggle 31

Effective Communication and the Teaching of Skills An important use of effective communication is the teaching of skills. Scout lead ers do this all the time. So do supervisors at the job, co workers, community vol unteers—in fact, just about everybody is called upon now and then to teach someone else how to do something. (Presentation note. Pose the following 3 questions one after another but do not discuss until you flip page) [White Board List] Let’s discuss the newly learned art of Woggle tying. What was the process? Give me some feedback on the teaching techniques. What are the strong points? How might it be improved? 32

Tying A Woggle • • • It was hands on There was a finished woggle on display There was a handout with diagrams The process was demonstrated Each person worked through each step Support and praise were evident 33

Tying A Woggle èIt was hands-on. Everyone had a cord from the beginning and was actively involved in the process. èThere was a finished woggle on display. Participants could see the goal they were learning to achieve. èThere was a handout with diagrams showing the steps of the process a multi media approach to skills instruction. èThe process was demonstrated. As it was demonstrated, participants followed along, doing it themselves. The communication was verbal, visual, and tactile. èThe leader let each participant work through each step, allowing everyone to make mistakes and to figure out corrections. However, if a participant went too far afield, the leader would gently bring him back to the correct method, thus avoiding too much frustration. èThe leader was generous with support and praise. 34

Teaching Skills: 4 Main Steps • EXPLAIN • DEMONSTRATE • GUIDE • ENABLE 35

Teaching of Skills: 4 Main Steps Teaching a skill involves four very clear steps: èFirst, you EXPLAIN how to do the skill èSecond, you DEMONSTRATE how to do the skill èThird, you GUIDE others to do the skills, providing ongoing feedback. èFourth, you ENABLE others to use the skill, providing them with the time, materials, and opportunity to use the skill successfully. èExplain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable… The first letters of those words spell the word “EDGE. ” This teaching method is called the “TEACHING EDGE. ” The Teaching EDGE is how we teach every skill in the troop and outside Scouting whenever you are called upon to teach èsomething. 36

Effective Skill Instruction is part of the BSA’s “Four Steps to Advancement. ” 1. A youth learns. 2. A youth is tested. 3. A youth is reviewed. 4. A youth is recognized. 37

Effective Skill Instruction is part of the BSA’s “Four Steps to Advancement. ” 1. A youth learns. 2. A youth is tested. 3. A youth is reviewed. 4. A youth is recognized. (This can lead into a discussion of good communication as a tool of skills instruction. ) 38

Key Points • Communication is a tool of leadership. • Communication is essential to effective teams. • Communication happens in the “common ground. ” • Communication should be clear and concise. • Sender and receiver consider each other. • Communication is written, verbal, and nonverbal. • Feedback is a gift. 39

Key Points • Communication is a tool of leadership. • Communication is essential to effective teams. • Communication happens in the “common ground. ” • Communication should be clear and concise. • Sender and receiver consider each other. • Communication is written, verbal, and nonverbal. • Feedback is a gift. 40