Circles of converse refers to the human tendency to target messages to listeners. It also deals with degrees of familiarity. Circles of converse are easily drawn as a visual diagram: a series of concentric circles. Examples include family, friends, classmates, business associates and general public. The teacher should explain how levels of communication work in each instance and encourage students to demonstrate examples of various types of communication. The teacher should point out that different words are likely to be used to convey similar messages, depending upon the informality or formality of situations.
Assign groups by drawing names or numbers. Each group should contain three to five participants--odd numbers work better than even numbers. Give each group the name of a country or culture to research. Provide materials in class or take a field trip to a library. Give time for the groups to research communication in their assigned cultures. Each group should then select a spokesperson who will give an oral report of their findings to the entire class.
Collect recorded examples of people communicating in various circumstances.
The American Rhetoric website lists 100 famous speeches that are available in many formats. Ask students or teachers to volunteer to role play various social situations. You can also use 30-second clips from commercial videos. Discuss the samples in class, tying them into the various communication theories and into the students' experiences as speakers. Develop and administer an essay test in which the students must identify the various types of communication, such as familial, formal, business or casual. Also, explain their significance. Ask them to give examples of the various types of communication and communication situations from the examples watched in class or from their own experiences.
Assign roles to students and tell them to act out various communication situations. Examples of roles are teacher, shop keeper, student, businessman, teen, young child and parent. The conversations might be face-to-face, on the telephone or over the internet. Use role playing to emphasize safe and positive communication. Allow time for the class, as a whole, to make observations about the situations. Discuss the kinds of information that should not be disclosed to internet "friends," such as location and telephone number. Cover with students how not to give away their locations by casually sharing details such as "I'm going to walk to the park." Older students may benefit from mock interviews, business meetings and other communication situations that can affect their abilities to obtain work and earn livings.