Get Your Students Hired
Kenny,
this is very true. Along with this I would say the enthusiasm we put into our voices as we speak. This really does communicate volumes.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think you have to be able to speak to everyone. Each person has their own body language, and you have to be able to read it in order to understand what they are actually saying.
Clearly speaking is important not just for understanding; it's also important for normal communication
It has to be speaking clearly and in a proper volume. I think just about everyone has a story of the college professor who talked too low or was impossible to understand. I think that if the students cannot understand what you are saying, they will just tune you out and get none of the information you are trying to get them to understand.
Crystal,
you make a great point here. Our approachability & willingness to listen are as much as part of communication as our speaking.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Isaac,
so true that eye contact helps with accountability. I don't want my students to feel I'm "watching" them, but I want them to know I'm watching them. Hope that makes sense.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Linsey,
all of this is so true. Another word about your voice is to make sure you are taking proper care of your primary instrument by which you make your living. Understand how your voice works & how to use it properly!
Dr. Ryan Meers
Quebec,
it is really interesting to note how good eye contact draws students in & helps to encourage them to participate in the learning environment.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Quebec,
we do often worry about the physical nonverbals, but overlook the nonverbals of pitch & tone. As you point out this is important to remember as well.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Laura,
these are all to me the most important skills to remember as I am instructing.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Carolyn,
you are right that there are many similarities in the various communication methods & good instructional variety.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Charmelia,
variety is the spice of life & it is the key to an effective instructional methodology.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Eye contact, movement, and speaking voice are very important. Also, approachability and openness to student feedback are essential communication qualities in a diverse learning environment.
Good eye contact will keep students focused to class lecture and minimize chances that students will have to get into personal or classmates interests like talking and using electronic equipments in class.
The voice is one as this is the way you will communicate information to the student. It is your living. If your voice is monontone or has no life in it, the student will quickly turn off listening to you.
The second is your body language. Having body language that indicates an open and friendly style will go a long way in keeping a student's attention when you are trying to get key points over to them.
Your pitch and clarity are most important. The reason these communication skills are important to me is because the way you say things can influence the way it is interpeted by the audience. Many times the audience will not receive the message being presented if the presenter is not being clear with their message and if the pitch is a poor misrepresentation of who or what the communicator is trying to say.
The skills that are important in communicating with my class are:
make sure my class can hear me, make sure they understand what I am talking about, pointing out important key points as I am speaking, encourage interaction between students.
I try to utilize various communication skills while teaching. In reality they are pretty much comparable to the "learning styles" we learned. I try to reach each and every student as best I can on their level. Visual learners, I use alot of animation, gestures, etc. Auditory learners, I use alot of voice changes, etc. to keep their attention. Tactile learners, I use alot of hands on demonstrations, etc. while at the same time these are my ways of communicating with the students.