Playing on, or coaching, a sports team requires the ability to effectively communicate with a group. The success of the team depends upon this communication. Playing on a sports team and communicating with team members can help develop both listening skills and the ability to communicate verbally. A team must think as a whole to be successful, which makes effective communication a fundamental element in this setting. As an activity for enhancing communication skills on a sports team, the coach can allow individual members of the team to take a day to coach or go over plays. This gives team members a chance to practice expressing themselves to their teammates and the opportunity to make decisions about game play.
Any classroom setting requires effective communication from students and teacher alike. Students can't learn from a teacher who doesn't communicate lessons effectively, but the process goes both ways. Students who can't communicate difficulties they may be having with the concepts delivered in the classroom will have a hard time reaching their potential. Communication between students and teachers, and even student to student communication, is crucial to the learning process. Teachers can encourage students to learn and practice effective communication by creating study groups or assigning class projects to students that need to be completed as a group. For younger students, teachers can allow students to take turns reading a story in front of the class and conduct and a question-and-answer session with other students to see how well the class understood the story.
Parties where there will be large groups of people can be a challenge for those who have trouble communicating and interacting with others. Lack of communication skills at these events can cause someone to feel out of place and can impact someone's ability to have a good time. Shy people often have trouble communicating at parties because they are afraid to interact with others. This shyness can be misinterpreted by some as being unsociable, when in fact, the person who is shy may want nothing more than to be able to communicate with others. Specific activities at social events that can encourage communication include associating with groups of people at parties or other social settings and engaging yourself in two-side conversations. Introducing yourself to new people is another way to begin effectively communicating with others. Getting involved in party games is another way to begin open lines of communications with others in a group setting.
Most people work around many people, so the ability to communicate in this environment is crucial. Whether your work involves meetings or communicating with other employees, the effectiveness of your communication skills can impact not only your job, but the jobs of those whose success depends upon the communication necessary to achieve daily work goals. Activities at work that can encourage effective communication include holding staff meetings where co-workers can talk about job concerns, ask questions about policies or get involved in the company by making suggestions for improving the work environment.