Say What You Need to Say: Effective Communication

How can effective communication help us express ourselves and connect with others?

Mastery Objective

• Students will be able to identify and practice aspects of effective communication.

Day 1 - Students will:

• Listen to “Say” by John Mayer
• Define communication
• Identify components of effective communication (the 5 Cs)

Day 2 - Students will:

• Listen to “Decode” by Sabrina Carpenter
• Consider strategies for effective communication in a conversation
• Reflect on their experiences in conversations

Day 3 - Students will:

• Listen to “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing” by James Brown
• Understand the components of tone of voice
• Recognize the role that tone of voice plays in communication

Day 4 - Students will:

• Listen to “Say It Right” by Nelly Furtado
• Recognize how word choice impacts communication
• Practice using example sentence structures to communicate needs and feelings

Arts-Based Activity - Students will:

• Reflect on what they’ve learned about effective communication
• Dramatize ineffective communication and rewrite dialogue for effective communication

In this lesson, students will identify what makes communication effective and learn strategies to practice it. They will learn that they can express themselves effectively by being clear, correct, complete, concise, and compassionate. They will consider some strategies for holding effective conversations with others. They will discuss tone of voice and choice of words, consider how each impacts communication, and practice using various tones and sentence structures.

Required for all lessons:

• Student Journals
• Art Supplies

Day 1:

• Handout - 5Cs*

Arts-Based Activity:

• Handout - Communication Scene

*optional