Immediacy: An Educators Ally

1. Immediacy: An Educators Ally Effective Communication through Immediacy

2. Effective Teaching • Effective Teaching is a “three-legged stool”

3. Immediacy in Communication • Immediacy Behaviors and Communication • Create sense of closeness • Conveys interest and attention • Increases cognitive learning • Increases affective learning • Motivates students to learn “Immediacy is one of the most important aspects in successful teaching.”

4. Forms of Immediacy • Verbal • Self-disclosure messages • Feedback queues, (thank you, good job) • Sharing messages • Non-Verbal • Smiling • Eye contact • Vocal variety • Moving about the classroom • Close proximity to students

5. Immediacy and Control • Immediacy aids in classroom management and discipline • Students can more readily understand and interpret communication of behavior control when it is coupled with nonverbal immediacy behavior by the teacher. • Students are more willing to behave and are motivated to act appropriately when they feel positively connected with the teacher. • Students are also more apt to have good attendance when they are closely connected with the teacher.

6. Immediacy for Individuals • Immediacy can enhance learning for students with personality traits that make communication harder • Communication apprehension • Shyness • Unwillingness to communicate • Poor perception of communication skills

7. Immediacy Cross-Culturally • Despite cultural differences in immediacy use and acceptability, teachers can still enhance learning cross-culturally • Cultures with high or low immediacy • Cultures with mixed ethnicities in the classroom