Interpersonal Communication Communication types Unilateral communication Directive communication

Interpersonal Communication

Communication types Unilateral communication Directive communication Transactional communication Interpersonal communication

Communication Simultaneous sending and receiving Meanings in and among people Environment and noise in communication Communication through channels

Individualistic Collectivistic Low-context: Communication is explicit and High-context: Communication relies on direct; one “gets to the point” context, past experience, and indirect cues Talk: Self-assertion is achieved through talk; Silence: Comfort may be derived from silence; talk is used to achieve comfort in groups silence is used communicatively and is valued Directness: Individuality and uniqueness are Indirectness: Hints and subtle cues are used asserted, opinions are expressed to disagree, to maintain harmony, and ambiguity is persuade, and avoid ambiguity tolerated to maintain harmony Uneven turn-taking: One party may Balanced turn-taking: Turns are distributed dominate; both parties may introduce topics evenly; each party takes short turns and does and speak at length about them not randomly shift topics

Prerequisites for Communication Frame of reference Selective perception

Communication Skills Listening Ø Ø Ø Rationale for listening Factors that interfere with effective listening Improving listening skills

Communication Skills Nonverbal communication Ø Ø Ø 93% Rule Body movements Vocal cues Spatial relations Minimal encouragers

Effective Communication Skills Nonverbal communication principles Ø Ø Congruence Individualism Verbal communication principles Ø Ø Concreteness Neutrality

Improving your communication skills Become a student of communication Nurture and communicate openness Keep communication meaningful Use silence effectively Adapt your communication to match the task and the relationship

Using statements and asking questions

Purposes of statements Statements that provide information Ø Descriptive statements Overt Covert Ø Guiding statements Used by one with greater expertise (e. g. , teacher) Evaluation, advice

Purposes of statements Statements that seek information Statements that confirm or clarify information Ø Ø Ø Paraphrasing Reflecting Summarizing

Pitfalls in practicing empathic listening The following invalidate another’s experience Ø Ø Finding the silver lining Being overly optimistic Offering blind reassurance Engaging in mind reading. http: //www. jaggym. com/blog/silver-linings

Giving verbal feedback Characteristics of effective interpersonal feedback Ø Ø Ø Descriptive feedback rather than evaluative or advisory Specific feedback rather than general Feedback directed toward changeable behaviors or situations Concise feedback Feedback checked to ensure clear communication

Giving verbal feedback Guidelines for giving effective feedback Ø Ø Solicited feedback rather than imposed Direct feedback rather than indirect Culturally sensitive feedback Well-timed feedback

Effective feedback or not? Thank you for letting me observe your class, Jana. I can’t believe what a group of wild things you have to deal with. I thought it was incredible the way you handled them. They sure learned their lesson, didn’t they?

Effective feedback or not? Let’s discuss my observation of your class, George. I couldn’t help but see that you have a very specific and detailed lesson plan. I also noticed that you frowned when Lea got out of her seat three times and you had to walk her back to it. It really screwed up your instructional pace.

Effective feedback or not? I found it helpful to observe your class, Jerry, as it gave me a clearer picture of your students. I noticed that your speech remained low and deliberate and at a normal volume even when Gabriel and Pablo were throwing things at teach other. When you sat down next to them and spoke softly, they quit throwing things. Is that what you noticed too?

Effective feedback or not? Thanks for letting me observe your class, Dwayne. You are the best. Way to go, dude. Keep it up.

Asking Questions

Purposes of questions Questions that seek information Questions that provide information Questions that clarify or confirm information

Characteristics of questions Question format Ø Ø Ø Direct/indirect Open/closed Single/multiple

Single or multiple questions? How often does Jenny have these crying spells? Will you speak to Mr. White and can we discuss this more tomorrow at lunch? I wonder how the other children react when Paula runs around the room. Does Peter refuse to get out of bed only during the week or on the weekends? Could you describe the kinds of problems Lee has in reading? What sets off this behavior and how often does it occur? I wonder if she has a disability and whether she’s overwhelmed by being at a new school. When does she usually act that way?

Characteristics of questions Question format Ø Ø Ø Direct/indirect Open/closed Single/multiple Degree of concreteness Ø Ø Presupposition Prefatory statements

Suggestions for effectively asking questions Use pauses effectively Monitor question-asking interactions Attend to the cultural context Make questions meaningful

Conducting interviews Prior to the interview During the interview After the interview

Difficult Interactions

Challenges Presented at the Secondary Level Barriers presented by the nature of high school environment Co-teaching more complex at secondary level Creating & Maintaining Co-teaching Relationships Know yourself Know your partner Know your students Know your “stuff” Keefe, Moore, & Duff, 2004

What is conflict? A struggle that occurs when individuals, interdependent with others, perceive that those others are interfering with their goal attainment

How can conflict be beneficial? Decisions made after addressing a conflict often are of high quality because of the intense effort invested in discussing perspectives and generating ideas.

How can conflict be beneficial? Professionals implementing decisions emerging from conflict are likely to have a strong sense of ownership for the decisions and for the commitment to carry them out.

How can conflict be beneficial? Conflict typically causes professionals to sharpen their thinking about their points of view so that they can clearly communicate them.

How can conflict be beneficial? Often, professionals who successfully manage conflict develop more open, trusting relationships with one another. This facilitates their subsequent interactions.

How can conflict be beneficial? Practice in effectively communicating during conflict can make it easier to address future conflict situations.

Causes of Conflict Between individuals with different goals Between individuals with the same goals Conflict about power

Conflict response styles Competitive style Avoidance style Accommodative style Compromising style Collaborative style

MEDIUM LOW IMPORTANCE of RELATIONSHIP HIGH Accommodating Collaborating Compromising Competing Avoiding IMPORTANCE of OUTCOME LOW MEDIUM HIGH

Resolving conflict Through negotiation Ø Win/win goal Through mediation Ø Requires neutral 3 rd party

Effective negotiation Understand your own motivation and that of others Clarify the issues Set your expectations Discuss each issue involved in the conflict Make and respond to offers Monitor for ethics and integrity

Understanding Resistance most often occurs as a response to an interpersonal exchange that has a personal impact. Ø Resistance occurs only in response to a perceived impending change. If no change exists, resistance vanishes.

Causes of Resistance Concerns about the proposed change Concerns about the personal impact of the change Concern about others involved in the change Homeostasis

Indicator Explanation Refusing to participate Response to change is “no, thank you” • “I just can’t deal with doing that right now. I have too many other responsibilities. Supporting without substance Response to change is “puppy on the dashboard” head nodding without meaning Displacing responsibility Response to change is claiming others will not permit it. • “the other parents are going to complain” “I understand that the state has said this is not legal” Deferring to a future time Response to change is putting it off Relying on past practice Response to change is to call on tradition as a reason to retain the status quo. “We’ve always done it this way. ”

Assessing whether to address resistance Determine whether resistance is an appropriate response Assess whether addressing resistance is warranted Consider the extent of others’ commitment to change

Persuasion as a strategy for responding to resistance Persuasion approaches Ø Ø Behavioral approach Consistency approach Perceptual approach Functional approach

Persuasion as a strategy for responding to resistance Persuasion strategies Ø Ø Ø Seek ways to promote incentives Relate the proposed change issue to a positive image Provide opportunities for other to become familiar with the change through observation Create discrepancies that can be brought to the attention of resistant individuals Link the proposed change with the resolution of the discrepancy

…more persuasion strategies Ø Ø Ø Ø Relate the change to others’ knowledge and experience Propose changes within the value system of others Gain public commitment Involve others early in the planning stages Be sensitive to adult learning preferences Clarify ownership of the task or activity Obtain and use feedback from participants