Students wanting to communicate effectively must first seek to understand and then be understood. A teacher trying to help students learn communication skills can ask the class to paraphrase the position of a communicator to determine whether the content was understood.
Asking questions and providing feedback are important parts of communication. Feedback and questioning help validate what the speaker says. Teachers can track how many questions the students ask when communicating by recording the amount of feedback provided. The teacher then has statistical support when pointing out whether students are providing enough of these vital aspects of the discussion.
Some people talk for too long without giving the other person a chance to speak. The teacher can instuct on this subject by having students play a game. Students are paired and given a ball. When a student has the ball, she can speak. When she finishes making a certain point, she must then pass the ball to the other person. Students can also be given a stopwatch and assigned a set amount of time in the conversation, after which the ball must be passed to the other student.
Teachers can create quizzes for students to make a self-assessment. These quizzes help students realize things about their communication styles they may not have realized. For example, the student may be asked, “In a conversation, do you do most of the talking, let the other person talk or keep the participation in the conversation equal?”
A student's interaction with adults will present an opportunity to develop communication skills. Communication is essential for a child to be able to form successful relationships and develop emotional health by feeling validated. Parents and teachers should have as many conversations with children as possible to encourage this development.
Group work is a common way for students to develop communication skills in a classroom. Students can take on different roles, based on their personalities. Some students have more of a tendency to assume leadership than others, so teachers may want to assign these roles to ensure all students develop skills needed to lead.
Nonverbal communication influences the quality of the conversation. Students can convey hidden messages based on body orientation, facial expression and eye contact. Students are not always familiar with how they portray themselves nonverbally, so teachers should give frequent feedback on nonverbal communications.