Learning to listen well and pick up non-verbal cues forms an essential basis for good
communication. The first part of the book contains activities that address non-verbal communication, the assumptions
we make about others, barriers to good listening, and how to listen actively
including the use of open and closed questions.
Decision-making is a fundamental part of communication. If we cannot make decisions
we will struggle to communicate our wants and needs. Activities explore
decision-making strategies and practice in effective decision-making.
The skills of assertive communication. We
focus on what we mean by assertiveness, and develop
specific skills: experiencing confidence, saying no, resisting pressure and negotiating a
Learning how to help others by applying good communication skills.
A range of strategies and different ways of
helping others and how to use the model to explore
appropriate ways of helping others in a variety of circumstances.
Decision-Making and Communication contains 16 lesson activities under the topic headings of:
1. Listening Skills
Activity 1, To demonstrate that people are communicating even when they are not using words.
For students to increase their awareness of non-verbal communication and the difficulty of reading others’
Activity 2, To demonstrate how easy it is to misinterpret people and situations.
To raise awareness of the risks of making assumptions.
Activity 3, To demonstrate how easily messages get distorted, especially with one-way communication.
Activity 4, To identify the ways in which we stop ourselves listening to others.
To identify strategies for listening well.
Activity 5, For students to practise listening well, including reflective listening.
Activity 6, To understand the difference between an open and a closed question and when it is appropriate to use one
or the other.
2. Decision Making
Activity 7, For students to understand that there are many factors that influence decision-making.
For students to consider effective ways of making decisions.
Activity 8, For students to practise making effective decisions.
3. Asserting Myself
Activity 9, To raise awareness of different styles of communicating.
To identify the key characteristics of assertive communication.
Activity 10, To enable young people to experience the emotions and the physical state associated with confidence and
assertiveness, and to ‘anchor’ that state so that they can access it again when required.
Activity 11, To practise the skills to say no.
To recognise the need to send congruent verbal and non-verbal messages.
Activity 12, To build on assertiveness skills by learning strategies to resist pressure.
Activity 13, To build on the skills of assertiveness by learning strategies to negotiate agreement.
Activity 14, For students to practise using the basic skills of assertiveness as a whole.
4. Helping Others
Activity 15, For students to recognise a range of helping strategies.
For students to understand which strategy to use when.
Activity 16, For students to consider appropriate responses to other people’s problems.
Decision-Making and Communication © Hilary Dixon and Jane Groves, 2008. ISBN 978-1-905801-07-7 Series editor Hilary Dixon.
Sample Pages, click the pages below for a pdf version of the sample pages where you can read the text clearly: