Communication is about more than just exchanging information. It's about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not only how you convey a message so that it is received and understood by someone in exactly the way you intended, it’s also how you listen to gain the full meaning of what’s being said and to make the other person feel heard and understood.
More than just the words you use, effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication, engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with.
Effective communication is the glue that helps you deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision making, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust.
While effective communication is a learned skill, it is more effective when it’s spontaneous rather than formulaic. A speech that is read, for example, rarely has the same impact as a speech that’s delivered (or appears to be delivered) spontaneously. Of course, it takes time and effort to develop these skills and become an effective communicator. The more effort and practice you put in, the more instinctive and spontaneous your communication skills will become.
During the Unit "Communication, Community & Character", we will begin by exploring the origins of communication, the many forms that communication may take and how to use verbal and non-verbal communication effectively. In the area of "Community" we will be exploring the feeling of fellowship that occurs with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals. For example, yearly the gifted students build a new community with each other as we collectively meet each week at the Gifted Center. We will then be turning our attention to "Character" - the strength and originality in a person's nature and how this influences our ability to be leaders. We will define leadership, and discuss the importance of perseverance and dedication to meet our personal goals.
More than just the words you use, effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication, engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with.
Effective communication is the glue that helps you deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision making, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust.
While effective communication is a learned skill, it is more effective when it’s spontaneous rather than formulaic. A speech that is read, for example, rarely has the same impact as a speech that’s delivered (or appears to be delivered) spontaneously. Of course, it takes time and effort to develop these skills and become an effective communicator. The more effort and practice you put in, the more instinctive and spontaneous your communication skills will become.
During the Unit "Communication, Community & Character", we will begin by exploring the origins of communication, the many forms that communication may take and how to use verbal and non-verbal communication effectively. In the area of "Community" we will be exploring the feeling of fellowship that occurs with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals. For example, yearly the gifted students build a new community with each other as we collectively meet each week at the Gifted Center. We will then be turning our attention to "Character" - the strength and originality in a person's nature and how this influences our ability to be leaders. We will define leadership, and discuss the importance of perseverance and dedication to meet our personal goals.