1. Improving Your Communication Skills

2. Having good communication skills is at the heart of being an effective teacher.

3. Goldstein and Brooks “Ten Steps to Effective Communication” Begin on the first day of school: set guidelines and opportunities for students to communicate Be proactive: schedule communication time (e.g. office hours, appointments’ etc.). Become an active listener: understand the verbal/non-verbal messages conveyed by your students

6. Understand Your Objective

7. Who is Your Audience?

8. Use KISS ( “Keep It Simple and Straightforward”) principle

10. Feedback: ask questions and listen carefully

11. Use of body language (facial expressions, gestures and the posture of the person you are speaking to can give clues as to how they are receiving you)

13. Self-knowledge on the teacher’s part about second language experience and how it is connected to teaching minority students

14. Knowledge about your own particular students

15. Continuing teacher- parent communication

16. Keeping parents informed: sharing information on regular basis and presenting information in a calm, professional manner when dealing with parents’ criticisms and confrontationHow is it Used?

17. Steps for Implementation: How to Improve Your Relationships With Effective Communication Skills Stay Focused Listen Carefully Try and See the Point of View of the Person you are Speaking With Respond to Criticism With Empathy Own What’s Yours Use “I” Messages Look For Compromises Take a Time-Out if You Need One Don’t Give Up if You Aren’t Successful the First Time Ask for Help if You Need it

18. Advantages and Disadvantages: Disadvantage:Making a good first impression usually takes place in just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed. You are at a disadvantage if you don’t carry yourself in a manner that gives off a good first impression.

20. To be an effective communicator and to get your point across without misunderstanding and confusion, your goal should be to lessen the frequency of problems that may arise with clear, concise, accurate, well-planned communications.

24. If an ice breaker session is well-designed and well-facilitated, it can really help get things off to a great start.

26. . Resources: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_76.htm http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/ht/healthycomm.htm Goldstein and Brooks “Ten Steps to Effective Communication” Vern Jones & Louise Jones “Comprehensive Classroom Management” -9th edition http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_99.htm