Communication skills such as eye contact, attentive listening and body language are great to demonstrate in a diverse learning environment.
shavene,
Yes, eye contact is a great way to show respect for others & confidence in self all at the same time.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think that maintaining eye contact is very important with the students. I think it shows that you are engaging them all and it holds their attention.
John,
It really is amazing how big a difference it can make to simply project our voices & as you said be authoritative, yet friendly. Not only does this communicate to our audience better, but it really does help us feel more confident as well.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Billy,
Thanks for sharing your great experience Billy. I too have found a lot of help in repeating back or having others repeat back what they heard me say/what I heard them say. This allows me to understand their emotions better as well as help clarify anything that might be confusing to them.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Voice, taking command of the room with projecting a commanding, authorizative but friendly speaking style.
I have been a public speaker since I was thirteen, and I am sixty-five. I share a number of personal experiences in communication. At the same time, I worked with families as a family counslor and educator. We explored their communication styles. I have taught public speaking in a number of classes. Finally, I find as the Harvard instructor states that I can listen to their conversation repeat back to them what I am hearing and teach all participating to share with me what they heard the other person say.
Miriam,
Honestly this is a great strategy & to me one that is rather fail safe. If we are approaching our students from these three angles, they should be able to grasp the content well.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I would apply communication skills that facilitate the three styles of learning:
For visual learners: writing on the board, powerpoint presentations, handouts, etc.
For auditory learners: clear and well organized lectures
For kinesthetic learners: hands on activities
Integrating all three types of learning styles into your communication skills will help you successfully reach more of your students.
Abigail,
Yes, vocal variety is a great tool to get attention & I like that you're using both louder & softer for this. If we are always talking loudly it's like highlighting the whole page, nothing stands out.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I use my voice in two very different volumes/tones to get my students' attention. I have a loudly projected (learned it in glee club) voice that I alternate with a whispery suggestive ruminative voice. Students generally pay attention to both because they are different. They seem to like the whispery questions as it gets them asking me and eachother 'what' and paying more attention to the ideas I am presenting.
Jeff,
You make a great point about being heard by all of our students. Always check your classroom for good acoustics & possible noisy distractions. This way you know how loud you need to be in order to be heard.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Clear, concise and confident. Instructor must ensure they speak at a volume that all students are able to listen. Use inflection when appropriate, and avoid the mono-tone speak.
Kathy,
Definitely true. Most research tells us that approximately 65% of communication is actually nonverbal, so obviously it's very important.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Verbal and non-verbal. With verbal, knowing the content of the lecture and the maintaining a good tone as you deliver it. Making pitch emphasis on certain points and explaining those points.
Non-verbal, the body language, facial expressions and eye contact is just as important as the verbal manner in which you deliver the information to make the students more receptive to it.
connie,
Visuals do seem to be great tools to help students with recall, both on tests & when the information is needed in the "real world."
Dr. Ryan Meers
Alexadner,
Great point that you make here. I think too often we get frustrated with our students for not speaking clearly, but can poor examples of this ourselves. Great job in keeping the students in mind.
Dr. Ryan Meers
andrea,
I agree that it is important to design our instruction to meet the styles of all types of learners. The key is to be creative in how we do this.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I love visuals. students seem to submit to memory quicker and longer the information verbalized when i have visual aids.
As in instuctors we tend to focus in on the students who are paying attention. There are better techinques that can be utilized such as scanning the room and engaging each student.
