Communicating:

-Sending and receiving

-Telling people how you feel
-Controlling your feelings
Communicating is the exchange of thoughts, messages and information and it is very
important because you have to be able to interact with others at home, school, work, etc.
The most important communication skills are active listening, showing emotion,
responding appropriately to others, self-disclosure (telling others about ourselves), and
being a positive person.
. Active listening is observing and reading people!s nonverbal behavior and listening to
and understanding people!s verbal messages. "istening to and understanding nonverbal
communication re#uires $reading% facial expressions, body gestures, and voice #uality. &t
is possible to communicate messages to others without ever saying a word. 'acial
expressions, such as smiles, frowns, and raised eyebrows, definitely send out messages.
Tone of voice, pitch, intensity, pauses, and silence communicate feelings and attitudes.
Certain physical responses, such as #uick breathing and blushing can also give away your
feelings. (oes a person move toward you or away from you when talking to you)
*eneral appearance also says a lot about a person. *rooming and dress may give
important clues to a person!s background, philosophy of life, and values.
"istening to and understanding verbal messages re#uire careful attention to a person!s
words. +ttention cannot be interrupted or impatient. ,ye contact is essential to listening.
-hen you do not understand what the speaker has said, you should ask, $-ould you
please repeat that again)% +s the listener, you must show nonverbal cues that you are
actively listening to what is being said.
+ctive listening is another common courtesy we extend to people around us. &t shows that
we care about and are interested in the speaker!s thoughts and ideas. .eal listening
re#uires our concentration. -e must focus on listening carefully with full attention. /any
of our problems would likely be solved if we listened with care to the people speaking to
us. "istening is a common courtesy. &t is also important in understanding others. /ost
important, it establishes and strengthens positive relationships.
0. Showing emotion is being able to react emotionally to try to identify with the person
communicating with you1 it may be sympathy, empathy, laughter, anger, etc.
2. Responding appropriately to others. 3our will be faced with many situations where
you will need to say the right thing in the right way. 'or example, in a 4ob interview, an
employer may ask why you left your last 4ob. &t would not be appropriate to say, $& hated
the boss%. &t would also not be appropriate to say, $&t!s none of your business%. To learn
to respond appropriately, consider what you are about to say and how it will sound to the
person your speaking to. 3ou do not want to say something that will make them think
badly of you. T5&67 +89:T -5+T 39: ;+3 8,'9., 39: ;+3 &T.
<. Self-Disclosure is sharing our feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and ideas with other people.
&t is revealing our $true% selves to another person and it can be a positive thing because it
strengthens the bonds between people and brings them closer together. 8ut it can also be
harmful if a person disagrees with an idea or attitude you have disclosed, it can have
negative conse#uences. (on!t disclose too much information about yourself but don!t be
so afraid that you fail to share when it is appropriate to do so. This is reciprocal in that
you have to share your feelings with others for them to in turn share their feelings with
you.
=. Being a positive person. -hen interacting with people, it is best to be positive1 this
means that you should have a positive outlook about the people you!re with. 3ou should
also have a positive attitude about what goes on around you. +void negative thoughts and
feelings because it will only bring you and those around you down. 8e positive but don!t
be afraid to express yourself. .emember, an important part of being a positive person and
a good communicator is being able to compromise.
ACT!T"
&. -rite down different expressions and have students express them through non-verbal
communication.