Module 4: Building Community Leadership Capacity Leadership and Effective Communication Unit II: Effective Communication

Icebreaker Find people with the same shape as the one on your half sheet of paper When you find your group answer the following questions –What does it mean to effectively communicate? –How do you know when someone is listening to you? –What are some clues that let you know that someone understands what you are saying? Share what your group came up with

Communication A process of sending and receiving messages Adults divide their communication time in the following way –9 %is written –30 %is verbal –45 % is listening –16 % is reading

Active Listening Listening is one part of effective communication, a very important one. Being an effective and active listener is a process that requires practice These skills focus on a direct style of communication versus indirect When a direct communicator is speaking to an indirect communicator there can be misunderstanding

Verbal Active Listening Skills Encouraging the speaker with verbal cues. I.E “yes”, “uh huh”, or “please continue”. Repeating what the speaker has said. This allows for clarification and ensures that the intended message has been delivered. Asking. Open ended questions allow the person to add to his/her statement. Thanking the person for participating and or talking with you.

Non-verbal Active Listening Most communication takes place non- verbally Body language is an important element of communication –Open-be open when talking with someone. Do not cross arms in front of chest. –Relax-Do not fidget when speaking to people. It may appear that you are distracted which may take away from credibility.

Non-verbal Active Listening Continued –Eye contact-In American culture, eye contact lets people know that attention is being focused on them. In many cultures direct eye contact is a form of disrespect, especially if there is a higher ranking individual and a subordinate in a meeting. –Space-Be aware of the amount of personal space between you and the person/people you are speaking with. Americans tend to have the most personal space at 2 feet and some groups require as little as 6 inches

Demonstration What differences did you notice between the first and second demonstration? How do you think the speaker in the first demonstration felt? How do you think the speaker in the second demonstration felt? How did the listener convey that she/he was listening?

Communicating Across Cultures African American –Tend to use a lot of animation and emotional expression –Use large amount of gestures –Higher volume of speech compared to other groups –Generally direct when asking or answering questions –Prefer direct eye contact –Prefer significant amount of space when speaking with others –Tend to be relationship based –Prefer verbal communication –History between groups is important Toomey-Ting, Stella Communicating Across Cultures.

Asian American –Tend to use very little animation or emotional expression in conversation –Use very few gestures –Generally soft spoken –Tend to be less direct in answering and asking questions and cyclical versus linear –Prefer more distance between self and others –Relationship building is important –Written communication is important –History between groups is important –Tend not to use direct eye contact to show respect Toomey-Ting, Stella Communicating Across Cultures.

Hispanic/Latino –Use a moderate amount of animation and emotional expression –Moderate use of gestures –Tend to have moderate to high speech volume –Less direct in answering and asking questions –Tend to use direct eye contact in conversation –Have very little space between self and others when speaking –Relationship building is important –Verbal communication is important –History between groups is important Toomey-Ting, Stella Communicating Across Cultures.

European American/White Moderate use of animation and emotional expression Moderate use of gestures Moderate to high volume of speech Direct in asking and answering questions Prefer direct eye contact Prefer significant distance between self and others when communicating Focus on accomplishing task Prefer written communication History between groups is not important Toomey-Ting, Stella Communicating Across Cultures.

Native American Indian –Use very little animation or emotional expression in conversation –Use very few gestures –Soft volume of speech –Prefer indirect eye contact –Prefers more distance between self and others –Relationship building is important –Oral communication is preferred –History between groups is important Toomey-Ting, Stella Communicating Across Cultures.