Effective communication skills objectives for students touch on everything from facial expressions to visual literacy, from anxiety management to verbal skills, from body language to document presentation. Students can become more effective communicators by cultivating competency in these core communication areas and related literacies.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills encompass verbal elements of a message, written and spoken, as well as such nonverbal elements as physical appearance, vocal inflections, facial expressions and body language. Students can build competency in this area by learning interpret and employ nonverbal cues effectively, understand and use vocal inflections, and develop and deliver a message through language.
Message Development
Any message, whether spoken, written or nonverbal, has a purpose, a medium and an audience. All of these may evolve during the message development process. The purpose of the message encompasses the "what" and the "why" of communication. The medium addresses the "how" of communication and the audience answers the "who." For students to gain competency in this area, they can creatively explore these questions before and during the message development process.
Message Delivery
Delivering written messages involves adequate development of ideas, compelling introductions and conclusions, effective use of language, convincing use of research and supporting material, and strong visual presentation of finished documents. Most spoken messages include many of the same elements as written messages, but they also involve use of strong visual and audio aids, preparation of physical locations, compelling nonverbal cues, and effective interaction with audiences. Students can build competency in spoken and written message delivery through preparation, practice, feedback and review exercises.
Active Listening
Effective listening skills can help a communicator understand her audience's needs, motivate or persuade others toward action, show empathy or understanding. Active listening includes minimizing interruptions and distractions, asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing for clarity, and using nonverbal cues effectively. Students can grow in competency as active listeners through group activities and such role-playing exercises as story telling or interviewing.
Related Literacies
Additional skills, or related literacies, that are necessary for effective communication include ethical reasoning, critical thinking, visual literacy, research skills and anxiety management. Student communicators must learn resolve ethical challenges, including avoiding plagiarism. They need strong critical thinking skills, not only for the development of their own messages but also for the assessment of messages from others. Students can become more effective communicators by learning conduct research, including locating and evaluating material. They should understand the elements of visual communication and employ those elements successfully. Finally, communication situations can trigger anxiety in even the most seasoned communicators, so students must learn manage their anxiety.
Tags: nonverbal cues, anxiety management, become more, become more effective, body language