WHAT!?
Communication Workshop

Why is communication important? What is the purpose of communication?

Activity: Play Telephone or Reconstruction Game.

DRAGBiG as a group.

Find a partner, someone you don't know.

1. Both people stand back to back.
Discuss:
Your name.
Your grade.
What activities you are in at school and/or what are some of your hobbies.

2. Have one person sit, the other stand.
Discuss:
What do you like most about your family?
What do you like least about your family?
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on a vacation?

3. Both stand toe-to-toe.
Discuss:
What do you like about your church/youth group?
What do you like least about your church/youth group?
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a church/youth group function?

4. Both stand about 5 to 10 feet apart.
Discuss:
What do you like most at school?
What do you like least at school?
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a school setting?

Discuss as a group:
In each activity, what obstacles made communication difficult?
Activity:
1. No eye contact
2. Elevation
2. Personal Space
3. Loudness, fear of embarrassment
What other things blocked communication in these activities?

What blocks good communication?
Distance (can't see or hear)
Noise level
Distractions
Elevation
Comfortableness (physical, surroundings, conversation)
Personal Space
Weather

What do we do that blocks communication?
Our minds won't wait.
We think we already know. We listen with "half-an-ear".
We're looking, not listening.
We're busy listeners, thinking about other things.
We miss the big idea.
Our emotions make us deaf.
We're already thinking of how we are going to respond.

Some Communication Facts:
The average person speaks at a pace of about 180-200 words per minute.
The average person thinks at a pace of approximately 400-600 words per minute.
93% of communication is communicated non-verbally.
-Body Movements
-Facial Expressions
-Tone of voice.
The listener controls the conversation.

Remember that people retain at best:
35% of what they hear.
55% of what they hear and see.
75% of what they hear, see, and do.

Body Language and Tone of Voice Discussion.

Group Communication Guidelines:

• Everything said in the group should be taken seriously, no one ignored.
• Make sure you are clear about what was said before agreeing or disagreeing with it.
• Each person should only speak for him/herself, not for somebody else.
• When talking about touchy issues, it should be discussed in the group that things shared in the group stay in the group.
• All persons should be encouraged to share in the discussion.
• When anger or frustration rises in the group, we should try to find out why and discuss that problem to resolve it, or at least come to terms with it.
• When the group is making a decision, the group should discuss and make a decision on how to decide.
• Each member of the group needs to analyze his behavior and determine if his attitude/behavior is helping to solve the problem or if he is part of the problem.
• No one should leave the meeting while in progress except for health reasons. Leaving is destructive and frustrating to the rest of the group.
• When adding to a discussion, present your thoughts as logically and as well thought out as possible to avoid confusion and to improve clarity.
• Try to understand where the other person is coming from, but do not assume anything about the person or what he is saying.
• Most importantly, stay calm, be polite and respectful to everyone in the group.

One on One Communication, I-Statements:

Model of an I statement: Result of action, action, solution, optional deadline to change action.

Example: It frustrates me when you leave your dirty clothes on my bed, and I would appreciate it if you would pick up your clothes before tomorrow.

Example: It makes me sad when I hear you call Joey names, and it hurts his feelings. Could you please try to treat him nicely from now on?

Tips to make I-Statements effective:
Don't sound accusing.
Use the word "you" as little as possible.
Pick your words carefully to sound as polite as possible.
Be careful to have a relaxed tone of voice, don't sound threatening.
Watch your body language.

If you think there is an underlying problem, find out more about what that problem is and see if you can help him resolve it. Many acts of misbehavior are a result of frustration from a greater problem.

How can we apply this knowledge to our roles as youth leaders in the Synod and as servants in youth ministry. Why is it important to us?