Effective Peer Communication

ByMelanique Floyd

Willa Banks CarmonaPam Yates

Communication

No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood

others.Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Many of the problems that occur in an organization are the direct result of

people failing to communicate.

Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to

another.Effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information

or idea that the sender intended to transmit.

The Communication Process

1. Thought- First, information exists in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea, information or feelings.2. Encoding – Next a message is sent to a receiver in words or other symbols. 3. Decoding – Lastly, the receiver translates the words or symbols into a concept or information that he or she can understand.

Barriers to Communication

Cultural background and biasNoiseOurselvesPerceptionMessageEnvironmentalSmotheringStress

Effective E-mail

Your e-mails should be clear and concise. Sentences

should be kept short and to the point.

Writing Skills

Communicating through words can be more

concrete than verbal communications, with less room for error and even less room for mistakes.

Seven Ways to Improve Nonverbal

CommunicationEye Contact

Facial ExpressionGestures

Posture and Body OrientationProximity

Voice Modulation (Paralinguistics)Humor

Eye Contact

• Eye contact with audiences increases the speaker’s credibility.

• Teachers who make eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest.

• Interpersonal communication helps regulate the flow of communication.

Facial Expression

Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:

• Happiness• Friendliness• Warmth• Liking• Affiliation

Paralinguistics:

• Tone• Pitch• Rhythm• Timbre• Loudness• Inflection

Students report that they learn less and lose interest more quickly when listening

to teachers who have not learned to modulate their voices.

Gestures

If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as boring, stiff, and unanimated.

A lively and animated teaching style captures students’ attention, makes the material more interesting, facilitates learning, and provides a

bit of entertainment.Head nods, a form of gesturing, communicate

positive reinforcement to students and indicate that you are listening.

Posture and Body Orientation

You communicate numerous messages by the way you walk, talk, stand, and

sit.

Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward communicates to

students that you are approachable, receptive, and friendly. Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor

or ceiling should be avoided; it communicates disinterest to your class.

Proximity

• Rocking• Leg swinging• Tapping• Gaze aversion

You should move around the classroom to increase interaction with your students.

Increasing proximity enables you to make better eye contact and increases the opportunities for students to speak.

Humor• Humor is often

overlooked as a teaching tool.

• Laughter releases stress and tension for both the student and teacher.

• It fosters a friendly classroom environment that facilitates learning.

Research shows that an effective peer mediation program can reduce fights,

discipline referrals, suspensions, and can increase positive school climate,

teachers’ time teaching, and students’ time learning.Leigh Jones-Bamman

Program Manager for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership

Benefits of Peer Mediation Programs

• provides a safe structure for people to solve their problems and negotiate

• improves communication among students, administrators, teachers, and staff members

• makes people more comfortable talking to someone their own age who understands their concerns and their perspective

• peers are less threatening to talk to than authority figures and this promotes honesty and willingness to collaborate

• people learn that they have to listen to others’ point of view• helps people learn to live in a multicultural world

Creating and Sustaining Collaborative Relationships

Among Teachers

Collaboration provides teachers with a vehicle for sharing a common

knowledge base and vision. Yet few teachers are using collaboration on a

regular basis as part of their work.

Collaboration allows teachers to:

• Develop a sense of community• Improve the quality of their teaching by

working together on unit plans, lessons and assessments

• Recognize and appreciate diverse talents

Teachers who work autonomously have found it difficult to modify their lessons and instructions to reach the varied and

changing needs of their students.

Think of some ways you can collaborate with the teachers on

your team.

Researchers have indicated that two components are necessary when building a collaborative

relationship:•It needs to take place with an equal relationship among all parties.

•All parties must make a commitment to engage in dialogue and mutual inquiry. Each participant must have opportunities to experience each other’s knowledge and expertise (Ferrara, 2000).

ConclusionBuilding new relationships, whatever the

circumstances, takes time; rebuilding relationships in which trust has been damaged can take far longer (Young, 1998). If we hope

to make meaningful, lasting change within school communities, establishing trust as a

priority and taking the time to develop it looks to be well worth the investment. “Without trust, a school cannot improve and grow into the rich,

nurturing microsociety needed by adults and children alike.”(Blase and Blase 2001)