POSITIVE COMMUNICATION_sandbox

POSITIVE COMMUNICATION_sandbox

POSITIVE COMMUNICATION

The keys to positive communication involve non-judgmental questions and active listening.

Communication doesn’t always involve talking. Here are some different ways to communicate:

Words – expand your emotional vocabulary.

Body language – show the feelings behind your words.

Reciprocity – balance getting to know someone else with them getting to know you.

Credit: The Counseling Palette

THINK OF A BEAR

Here is an exercise to get you thinking about effective communication:

Imagine a bear. Now get detailed and think about…

  • Where is it? How would you describe its environment?
  • What does it look like? Color? Size? Texture?
  • What is it doing? How would you describe its behavior?
  • Share out. When it’s time, tell the class about your bear. 

WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?

You might have expected that everyone pictured a similar bear.

But something interesting happens when we share what we each imagined.

  • What contributed to the bear you thought of?
  • Would you think of a different bear if you were asked again another time?
  • Does it matter if your bear was a koala and the other person’s was a grizzly?
  • Were you surprised by the kinds of bears other people imagined?