Peaceful Solutions - Communication Skill Building

Introduce the Topic

Write on the chalkboard or chart paper these words: good communication. Ask participants to think of someone with whom they communicate well, or a time when communication was particularly good, and consider: What are the characteristics of good communication? Ask for responses and record them. Take only a few minutes.

Then ask participants to think of someone with whom they communicate poorly, or a time when communication went badly, and consider: What are the characteristics of poor communication? Again, quickly record the group's responses.

"Listening" probably will figure on both lists. If not listed, be sure to bring it up yourself and write it down. Ask participants to briefly compare and discuss the two lists. Then explain that the video shows a program designed to build students' communication skills.

Discuss:

the potential benefits of the RCCP program;
the role play between Linda Lantieri as math teacher and Norman as a student;
"I" messages: how they differ from "you" messages, why they facilitate constructive conflict resolution; and
"win-win" solutions: what they are, who decides whether a proposed solution is win-win.

Questions

1. Linda Lantieri says: "Very often conflict arises out of miscommunication and really not understanding and hearing what the other says." Comment.

2. Principal Larrie Hall says that diversity among students was one factor that prompted him to focus on communication skills. How does diversity affect conflict and communication?

3. It is often said that good listeners listen not just for facts, but for feelings. What does this mean?

4. Janet Patti says that "role playing is like a dress rehearsal for real life." Comment on the value of role playing in teaching and learning social skills.

Try It Out
These are adaptations of activites suggested for students.

1. Listening Demo Followed by Pair Shares

Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate poor listening while you speak. Ask the group what they observed and list responses. Next, ask the same person to demonstrate good listening. Again, ask participants what they noticed; list responses. Add anything important that they miss.

Finally, give participants an opportunity to practice active listening in pairs, around non-threatening topics such as "Something I Am Proud Of" or "My Favorite Holiday and Why I Love It." (You may wish to note and discuss cultural differences in nonverbal behaviors such as eye distance and comfortable talking distance.)

2. "I" Message practice

Suggested Scenarios:

another teacher always uses your parking space on rainy days;
a teacher on your team tends to quickly dismiss others' ideas;
your principal expresses displeasure about the noise in your classroom; and
a student consistently comes to class late.

Using a Fishbowl Format for Role Plays

In a fishbowl format, observers sit in a semicircle or a "U" shape while role players act out the scene in the middle. Time-out is called at different points to ask participants to describe their feelings and explain their choices of words and actions. Actors can also rotate in and out of the role play. For instance, after you call a time-out, you could ask that someone new take on a particular role. As-you-go processing and role rotation keep participants engaged and can be very helpful in defining the issues in the scenarios and exposing the rationale behind players' actions. The challenge is to keep the role-play moving by structuring breaks in the action that are productive yet not too long.