Improving Your Communication Skills
As an instructor, which communication skills would you personally wish to improve? Why?
I would like to slow sown my pace of speaking. I speak very quickly. I would also like to move around the class more rather than be tied to the podium. This would allow more engagement with students and would personalize instruction more by having closer contact with students.
I would like to improve ways to communicate with my students about putting in the effort they need to succeed in school and in life. I feel It comes off more like a lecture instead of a pep talk.
My problem in communication is make sure the students understand what is being said and what is expected. One way I have alleviated that situation is have the students repeat back what is communicated.
I teach emission related topics, I would like to improve being able to take complex topics and simplify things so everyone understands,( take the cookies off the top shelf and put them on the bottom shelf so everyone can reach them)
communication is the key of the introduction and the end
I constantly use examples of my experiences in the kitchen for the students. Even if there was a mistake made, I tell the students the story anyway. If there is a lesson to be learned, I will tell it. I need to slow down my delivery. I have a lot of information to cram into these minds in a short period of time. So I tend to rush through my lectures to give them more time to have the hands on training that most of them require.
Gwendolyn,
this is a good point. We want to have eye contact but we do need to make sure that we use it appropriately.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I need to work on eye contact while lecturing. Sometimes I stare too long at students and I believe it makes them feel uncomfortable.
I would like to improve on the question and answer portion of my class.
I feel improving your communication skills never seem to address the things you don't say, pauses, body language, movements, if you can sync the verbal with the body language it becomes a much more powerful teaching tool
I need to slow down and hopefully, one day, my accent will disappear.
I would need to improve upon the pace at which I present the information. I sometimes wonder how to fit all of the learning objectives into the short amount of time I have with the students. I have edited multiple times to try and condense my material, just hitting on the critical information and presenting in such a manner that will appeal to all types of learners. It is for these reasons that I find myself sometimes rushing through the content to avoid running out of time. I always feel as if a good instructor will hit every critical point during class, and the text can just re-emphasize the information to the student. Any suggestions?
Cindy,
both of these are great goals & important to do to really keep our students' attention.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an instructor, which communication skills would you personally wish to improve? Why
Listening is the communication skill I would like to improve.
The ability to listen well allows for better communication or dialogue with students. Through active listening content improves; and the overall learning process becomes much more fluid. The ability to listen will keep everyone informed and allow time for processing feedback while increasing the overall understanding of the lesson. This will allow for adjustments and new topics to flow into the classroom and keep students interested through active learning with active listening.
I would like to improve my communication skills by trying to "float" through the classroom more. I already do most of the other recommendations, but not this one.
I would like to improve on eye contact. I tend to make eye contact more than the recommended contact. Also, would like to improve on story telling to help students understand topic.
Making eye contact when lecturing because I do struggle with that.
As a librarian, the one communication skill I want to improve is to slow down when I give library instruction classes on different topics. I have gotten better, and alot of that is through trial and error. I read body language, and when you see students not engaged in the lecture, it is up to you to get them interested again.
I have a tendancy to speak at a fast pace. I recently had a Korean student in my class. He has only been in the US for about a year, so it was my goal to slow down so he could understand me. He has improved on his ability to speak and understand English and I have been able to slow it down.
