Identifying Important Communication Skills
What communication skills do you believe are the most important in a diverse learning environment? Why?
Katina,
this really is a balance, making sure we can be heard, yet having a tone that invites the students to participate & engage with us.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
For me the most effective communication skill is make sure my voice level is loud enough for my students to hear me because I am soft spoken to begin with, but not too loud. Also that I project enthusiasm into my lectures so they can see that I am excited about what I am lecturing.
Christopher,
So true & really interesting to note how big of a difference a little humor can make in the classroom.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Communications skills are vital to any interactive experience. In the case of a diverse learning environment, it would be easy to say an educator's non-verbal skills would be the most important, but I think that would be an incomplete answer. Non-verbal communication could help bridge learning gaps more immediately, but an instructor who understands the importance of, and effectively uses, verbal skills could help deficient students develop thier own verbal communications skills they will need in field.
Sense of humor is very important to me. It allows me to get the class momentum up, as well as engage students as individuals.
Emily,
So the more we can help them see how the material relates to them & their goals the more engaged they will be.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Great point. When students feel more personal relevance to the material it generates more interest and garners their attention for a longer period of time, helping them to solidify their new knowledge and recall it when necessary
Jeff,
This is so true & the key idea here is that we must do good work in our preparation to do this effectively.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Voice and body language. You have to project confidence as well as an openness to give students both awareness that you know what your doing, and that your willing to listen and help.
I beleive that having good listening skills and being aware to every students needs are needed to get the proper feedback on my instruction.
A very important component in communicating is the ability to draw on information learned and using that information to put forward an idea or concept or in other words, thinking and speaking with content! In today's culture, people respond without thinking. If you have learned and then can communicate that information in a clear and concise fashion, you will have learned a very important communication skill!
In a diverse learning environment you have to use a wide range of communication skills. That could include the voice that is utilized, a white board to list topics for the day, a well planned power point presentation, a few pictures to relate topics to, a video to back up some information, a web article, moving around the room to engage your learners. Today you have to be able to relate and engage learners from all generations by using a wide range of communication skills.
Jamie,
unfortunately this is true, yet there are many ideas & methods out there that we can use to really engage our students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
With my school being geared towards today's adult learner I notice more and more how short their attention spans are. I some times feel like an entertainer trying to get them re-engaged and make the material fun! Some times it is very hard to keep their attention as they become bored very easily.
Because of their racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and intellectual differences,
the students that I teach bring unique needs to the classroom. I try to consider the geographic area where I
plan to teach because I have taught in different places around the world. I create a concept map, depict the various cultures represented
by the diverse student population and tailer the information given to them.
Irum,
you are right that we always want to be considering our audience & adapting appropriately.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Ed,
these are all great communication techniques & you are right that these can really help communicate the important points.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I believe the best communication skill is to put yourself into the student's shoe and then make a presentation for the class. This way they will know that the instructor know their issues and will be comfortable.
Verbal conversation sends the signal that they are paying attention and are interested in the material.
