A communication skills course

1. A communication skills course

2. Overview of Talk about Talk Secondary course Phase 1: Communication skills – what are they? (Lessons 1 - 4) Phase 2: Preparing for the Practice Workshop (Lessons 5 - 8) Delivering the Practice Workshop in school Phase 3: Preparing for the Employers’ Workshop (Lessons 9 - 12) Delivering the Employers’ Workshop Reviewing learning 2

3. Phase 1: Communication Skills – what are they? (Lessons 1 - 4)

4. Overview Phase 1: Communication skills – what are they? Lesson 1: Introduction to the course What’s involved in communication Lesson 2: The Communication Chain How it works and where it can break down Lesson 3: Aggressive, passive or assertive? Features of three styles of communication Lesson 4:Cooperating with others The winter survival exercise and agreeing in a group

5. Lesson 1: Learning outcomes • Today we’ll learn about: • which skills employers want young people to have • what else is involved in communication, apart from talking 5

6. Activity: Warm up Introduce yourself: situations • Watch me role-play these five different styles • Now look at your situation: which style would you use to introduce yourself?

7. The five styles

8. Which skills do employers want most? • Literacy and numeracy • Teamwork • Positive attitude and initiative • Communication skills • Problem solving Source: Asdan 2012 survey of employers 8

9. Which skills do employers want most? • Communication skills • Teamwork • Positive attitude and initiative • Literacy and numeracy • Problem solving Source: Asdan 2012 survey of employers 9

10. Which skills do employers want most? • Employers say that communication skills are most important for new employees • But which communication skills do they mean? • In pairs, decide which of the following communication skills are Most and Least important to employers

11. Which skills do employers want most? 11

12. Which skills do employers want most? Rank the communication skills like this ... Least important Most important Be prepared to say why you decided on this ranking 12

13. Lesson 2: Learning outcomes • Today we’ll learn about: • the communication chain - what different stages are involved in using language and communication to communicate

14. Communication chain • The communication chain is an important element in both the Practice Workshop and the Employers’ Workshop • How will you explain the communication chain to an audience?

15. Introducing the communication chain … … which is more like a chain reaction • Each ‘domino’ has to do its bit so that all the following ones can work too – and all in a split second!

16. Communication chain • 1. Notice someone is speaking to you

17. Communication chain 2. Focus attention and listen

18. Communication chain • 3. Hear and understand the words • 4. Understand the sentences

19. Communication chain • 5. Read other person’s expression and body language

20. Communication chain • 6. Get the meaning

21. Communication chain • 7. Have an idea about what to say

22. Communication chain • 8. Know what’s appropriate

23. Communication chain • 9. Find the words in your memory • 10. Make sentences to say

24. Communication chain • 11. Choose the right expression and body language to use

25. Communication chain • 12. Programme your speech muscles • 13. Speak!

26. Communication chain • 14. Check other person’s expression and body language • Then keep the conversation going! • Sounds easy, but many young people have difficulties with different parts of this chain

27. Presenting the communication chain • In small groups, decide how to explain the communication chain to an audience • Use your Handbook that shows and explains the different parts of the chain • Try to include talking about parts of the chain you find difficult • When you have a plan, practise before showing it to the whole group • You might want to use role play to show what a break in the chain could look like 27

28. Presenting the communication chain • In small groups, decide how to explain the communication chain to an audience • Use your Handbook that shows and explains the different parts of the chain • Try to include talking about parts of the chain you find difficult • When you have a plan, practise before showing it to the whole group • You might want to use role play to show what a break in the chain could look like 28

29. Closing thoughts After this session, which of these is correct? • I’m brilliant at communication so my future’s looking good • I’m rubbish at communication so I’ll be unemployed forever! • If communication skills improve during secondary school, then I’ll just wait for it to happen • I’m good at some of bits of communication and now I know other parts I need to work on

30. Closing thoughts After this session, which of these is correct? • I’m brilliant at communication so my future’s looking good • I’m rubbish at communication so I’ll be unemployed forever! • If communication skills improve during secondary school, then I’ll just wait for it to happen • I’m good at some of bits of communication and now I know other parts I need to work on

31. So what do I do now? • Know your own strengths and difficulties with language and communication • This is called meta-linguistic skill:without this skill it’s difficult to improve • Talk to adults at school about how you can improve • Practise talking in different situations • Answer the questions in your Handbook to think about how well you do 31

32. So what do I do now? • Know your own strengths and difficulties with language and communication • This is called meta-linguistic skill:without this skill it’s difficult to improve • Talk to adults at school about how you can improve • Practise talking in different situations • Answer the questions in your Handbook to think about how well you do 32

33. Lesson 3: Learning outcomes • Today we’ll learn about: • three different styles of communication: aggressive, passive and assertive • the advantages of communicating in an assertive style

34. Aggressive, passive or assertive? • Aggressive communicators: • express their feelings and opinions in a way that ignores the rights of others • are often verbally and/or physically abusive, so make other people afraid • often use a loud voice • don’t listen well, are rude and interrupt a lot • always blame others for their mistakes, so don’t learn from what goes wrong

35. Aggressive, passive or assertive? • Passive communicators: • don’t express their opinions or feelings • often speak quietly, and have poor eye contact • get ‘walked on’ over and over • don’t try to do anything about their difficulties so don’t get better as communicators

36. Aggressive, passive or assertive? • Assertive communicators • say what they think clearly; stand up for their own rights but don’t ignore the rights of others • listen well to others • have good eye contact, a calm voice and relaxed body language • get better at communication because they deal with problems and mistakes when they happen

37. Aggressive, passive or assertive? Aggressive communicators think: ‘I’m OK, you’re not’ Passive communicators think: ‘You’re OK, I’m not’ Assertive communicators think: ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’ 37 37

38. Aggressive, passive or assertive? [Insert images of three celebrities or soap opera characters known for their assertive, passive or aggressive styles of communication.] Who uses which style? 38

39. Lesson 4: Learning outcomes • Today we’ll learn about: • cooperating in a team • completing work to a tight deadline • the winter survival exercise: deciding which items would be most important?

40. Winter survival exercise • You’re going to hear about an imaginary situation – a plane crash in North Scotland – which you are trying to survive • After that, you’ll get 8 items that will help you to survive • Then, you’ll each have 10 minutes to decide which items will be Most helpful and Least helpful • Last, you’ll work in a group to try to agree on the Most and Least helpful items

41. Winter survival: situation You’re travelling by plane across the north of Scotland in January. Temperatures often fall to minus 10 degrees Centigrade in January. The engine fails and your plane crash lands into a marsh. The pilot and co-pilot are both killed. All the other people escape with the items on the list. Everything else sinks with the plane. You’re dressed in ordinary casual clothes. It’s 20 miles to the nearest village. Rank the items on the list in order of importance from 1 to 8

42. Winter survival: some of the items Hand axe Compass Cigarette lighter (spark but no fuel) Heavy canvas cloth

43. Talking targets • Make sure everyone says their opinion and is listened to • Accept that it’s OK for other people’s opinions to be different to yours • Reach a compromise about the ranking in the 20-minute deadline 43