SkillBuilders: 50 Communication Skills Activities

Communication is the foundation of all human interaction — and the basis of all training programs. From team building and leadership to customer service and supervisory training, communication is a fundamental skill that should be integrated into all types of training. Whether communication is being addressed directly or indirectly in your training program, lay the groundwork for skill development with SkillBuilders: 50 Communication Skills Activities.

This collection of activities addresses all 3 learning domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) and involves participants directly in the learning process through its interactive approach.It about the communication skills tells about communication activities in the 50 categories.

Uses for SkillBuilders: 50 Communication Skills Activities

The exercises are basic enough to include in any training program that incorporates communication skills, including those for customer service, sales training, and supervisory skills. A handy applications matrix matches the activities with 8 important communication topics. Many activities have more than one application:

• Communication Awareness
• Delivering Your Message
• Nonverbal Communication
• Communication Conflicts
• Active Listening
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Written Communication
• Presentation Skills

Product Contents

• Facilitator guidelines
• Applications Matrix to pinpoint the best activities for training needs
• Reproducible participant materials

Activities include:

Communication Awareness:
· Get to Know Your Apple
· Packaging is Important
· Picture This
· Walk the Talk
· Role Models
· Rotating Trio Exchange

Delivering Your Message:
· Assessing Your Speech Habits
· It’s How you Say It
· Avoiding Killer Phrases
· What Do You Mean?
· Paper-Tearing Exercise
· Jumbled Messages
· Drawing Conclusions

Nonverbal Communication:
· At Arm’s Length
· Reading People
· Mixed Messages
· Body Language
· Active Observation

Communication Conflicts:
· Dealing with Conflicts
· Distinguishing Behaviors
· Preventing Conflict
· Dealing with Difficult People
· Applying Assertive Behavior
· Expressing Different Viewpoints

Active Listening:
· How Well Do You Listen?
· What Do You Know about Active Listening?
· Rotating Trio Role Play
· Listening for Key Points
· Listening Types Card Match
· Poor Listener on Trial
· The Art of Asking Questions

Giving and Receiving Feedback:
· The Power of Feedback
· Applying the Feedback Model
· Describing Behavior
· Using “I” Statements
· Feedback Criteria
· Receiving Negative Feedback

Written Communication:
· Creating Sentence Variety
· Eliminating Hackneyed Expressions
· Writing Effective Memos
· Writing Directions
· Writing Customer-Focused Letters
· Writing a Request Proposal

Presentation Skills:
· Assessing Your Presentation Style
· Overcoming Stage Fright
· Assessing Your Audience
· Getting Your Audience’s Attention
· Dealing with Semantics
· Dealing with Difficult Audience Members
· Thinking on Your Feet