Interpersonal and Communication Process

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Interpersonal and Communication Process

• or how we communicate
• with one another

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Overview

• In this presentation we will cover the following
• Active Listening Skills
• Eye contact, posture, and body language
• Paraphrasing, clarifying, and verifying
  perceptions
• Empathy, summarizing, and minimizing distractions
• I Statements
• Feel
• Event
• Resolution
• Following this presentation you will be asked to
  practice these skills.
• Be sure to follow along using your Student
  Handout.

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Active Listening

• When you are telling your friend a story, how do
  you know they are listening?

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Active Listening Skills

• Active listening skills are those behaviors that
  tell someone who is talking that you are
  listening to them.
• There are two main categories of active listening
  skills
• Body Position
• Language

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Body Position - Eyes

• When you are talking to someone, how do you know
  they are listening to you?
• Eye contact is very important for active
  listening.
• Humans communicate a lot with their eyes,
  therefore if the eyes are wondering it is
  probably a sign that the mind is not paying
  attention.
• Too much of a good thing make eye contact but
  dont stare!

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Body Body Language

• What is the closed off body posture?
• Crossed arms indicate that the listener is not
  receptive to the speaker or the conversation.
• Positive body language listener facing speaker,
  open posture, relaxed, smiling, and head nodding.

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Language - Paraphrasing

• Repeat after me paraphrasing is the act of
  restating someones words back to them.
• Paraphrasing shows you are listening.
• Paraphrasing shows your understanding of what the
  speaker was saying.
• So what is paraphrasing?

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Language Verifying Perceptions

• Let me get this straight
• This is a common format for a verifying
  perceptions sentence.
• Verifying perceptions is used by a listener when
  they are confused by the speaker and they want to
  make sure they are following the conversation.
• It also gives the speaker feedback.
• What are other ways you have tried to verify
  perceptions when listening to your friends?

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Language Clarifying

• Clear as mud
• Sometimes conversations can get confusing.
• So and so did such and such which lead you know
  who to say you dont even want to know what!
• Clarifying sentences can help you, the listener,
  lay it all out for the speaker to make sure
  everything is clear.
• In normal, clear conversations, clarifying can
  just make sure that you and the speaker agree.

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Language - Summarizing

• In conclusion
• Summarizing brings the main ideas into clear
  focus, and ends a conversation.
• Does not bring new ideas out.
• Someone summarize what we have learned so far
• Dont get too excited, we still have some
  learning to do

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Language - Empathy

• Do you have a friend who is just really bad at
  listening to you and understanding how you feel?
• We would say that they are not very empathetic.
• Not pathetic! Empathetic!!
• This means that they do not recognize and connect
  with your feelings and emotions.
• So like the kid outside the principals office,
  you dont think that anyone is listening.
• How do you show empathy with your friends?

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Language Minimize Distractions

• Hang on would ya? Ive got a call
• How many of you have been interrupted by a friend
  who wasnt paying attention to you?
• How does a situation like this impact you?
• Minimizing distractions is more than just cell
  phones, and making eyes with another classmate
  while a friend is talking.
• It has to do with hearing and respecting the
  other person.
• What distracts you from a conversation?
• How might you minimize these?

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I Statements

• How do you feel when someone picks on you?
• You probably started your answer off with, When
  I am picked on I feel
• This is what we call an I statement.
• These statements always begin with I.
• These statements help to convey your feelings
  without offending the opposing party. And they
  really work!
• Theres a general formula for I statements

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I Statement formula

• Use the formula in 1 to construct a sentence of
  your own. Its easy!
• I feel _(feeling)_ when you _(event)_ because
  _(impact on you)_ .
• I feel silly when you ____ because ____.
• I feel silly when you dress up as a clown
  because ____.
• I feel silly when you dress up as a clown
  because you trick me with your electric hand
  thingy.

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Summarizing

• Ok now finally try summarizing!
• What have we learned so far!
• We are now going to partner up to practice these
  skills.