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If youre looking for a resource thats rich with ideas, tips, and exercises that will help you become a better communicator and improve your relationships with your family, friends, and coworkers, youve come to the right place! Read on to learn about how important communication is in a relationship and how you can work on improving your communication skills. Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients build healthy, life-enriching relationships. This Article Contains:
What are Communication Activities, Exercises, and Games?The resources in this piece include tips, techniques, exercises, games, and other activities that give you the opportunity to learn more about effective communication, help guide your interactions with others, and improve your communication skills. Some might feel like a chore you need to cross off your to-do list while others may make you forget youre not just having fun with your family, but actually boosting vital life skills; however, they all have one thing in common: they will help you become a better, more effective, and more positive communicator with those who mean the most to you. But whats the deal with these activities, exercises, and games? Are they really that important or impactful? Do we really need to work on communicating when it seems like were pretty good at it already? The Role of Communication in a RelationshipThe answer is a resounding yes!Check out this quote from Stephen R. Covey and take a minute to think about how vital communication really is.
Stephen R. Covey As Covey notes, communication is the foundation of all of our relationships, forming the basis of our interactions and feelings about one another. According to Australias Better Health Channel, communication is the transfer of information from one place to another and within relationships, it allows you to explain to someone else what you are experiencing and what your needs are (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). When communication is good, we feel good about our relationships. Dr. Susan Heitler (2010) puts it this way:
Besides making our relationships easier, there are also relationship-boosting benefits to good communication:
How Can We Develop Better Communication Skills?Fortunately, all it takes to develop better communication skills is a commitment to do so and a little bit of effort. These tips from Australias Better Health Channel can help guide you toward better communication with your partner or spouse (these tips can also apply to any other relationship in your life with a little tweaking):
If youre experiencing high levels of conflict in your relationship(s), the Better Health Channel has some specific recommendations for you:
8 Tips on How to Teach Communication SkillsBefore you teach communication skills, its helpful to build a framework for your students.This useful framework comes from Alice Stott at Edutopia (2018):
Once you have a good framework for understanding communication, try these 8 ways to foster effective communication in your children or students:
18 Communication Games and Activities for AdultsIf youre looking for some concrete ways to build communication skills in adults, youve come to the right place. Below are 18 games, activities, and exercises that you can use to help adults develop more effective listening and communication skills. 5 Communication Activities for AdultsTo get started improving your (or your teams, or your students) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try. 1. Card PiecesThis exercise from the team at MindTools is a good way to help participants develop more empathy, consider other perspectives, build their communication and negotiation skills. First, make sure you have enough people for at least three teams of two, enough playing cards to give out between 4 and 6 cards to each person, and 15 minutes to spare. Heres how the activity works:
Afterward, you can use these questions to guide discussion on the exercise:
2. Listen and DrawThis game is easy to play but not so easy to win. It requires participants full attention and active listening. Gather your group of participants together and hand out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil to each player. Tell them you will give them verbal instructions on drawing an object, one step at a time. For example, you might give them instructions like:
As the exercise continues, it will get progressively harder; one misstep could mean that every following instruction is misinterpreted or misapplied. Participants will need to listen carefully to ensure their drawing comes out accurately. Once the instructions have all been read, compare drawings and decide who won. For added engagement, decide in advance on what the finished product is supposed to represent (e.g., a spiderweb, a tree). 3. Communication OrigamiThis is a great exercise to help people understand that we all hear and interpret things differently, even if we are given the exact same information. Heres how it works:
You will likely find that each shape is a little bit different! To hit the point home, refer to these discussion points and questions:
4. Guess the EmotionAnother useful exercise from the Training Course Material website is called Guess the Emotion. As you might expect, it involves acting out and guessing emotions. This helps all participants practice empathy and better understand their coworkers or group members reactions. Follow these instructions to play this engaging game:
If you have a particularly competitive group, consider giving a prize to the winning team! 5. The Guessing GameFinally, another fun and engaging game that can boost communication skills: The Guessing Game. You will probably recognize this game, as its similar to what many people know as Twenty Questions, except there is no hard limit on the number of questions you can ask. To start, separate the group into two teams of equal (or roughly equal) size. Instruct one player from each team to leave the room for one minute and come up with a common object that can be found in most offices (e.g., a stapler, a printer, a whiteboard). When this person returns, their teammates will try to guess what the object is by asking only Yes or No questions (i.e., questions that can only be answered with yes or no). The team can ask as many questions as they need to figure it out, but remind them that theyre in competition with the other team. If theres time, you can have multiple rounds for added competition between the teams. Take the last 10 minutes or so to discuss and debrief. Use the following points and questions to guide it:
5 Listening Activities for AdultsIf youre intent on improving listening skills, in particular, you have lots of options; give these 5 activities a try. 1. Telephone ExerciseThis classic exercise from Becky Norman (2018) at Sifts Training Zone illustrates why listening is such an important skill, and why we shouldnt ignore any opportunities to improve it. Split your group into two even lines. At opposite ends of each line, whisper a phrase or short sentence to the person on the end and tell them to pass it on using only whispers, one person at a time. They can only repeat the phrase or sentence once. While participants are busy passing the message along to the next person in line, play music or engage them in conversation to create some white noise. This will make it a bit more difficult but it will mimic real-life conditions, where distractions abound. When the messages have made it to the end of each line, have the last person to receive the message in each line report out on what they heard. Next, have the first person to receive the message in each line report the original message and compare it to the final message received. 2. Stop Listening ExerciseThis exercise, also from Becky Normans piece (2018), will show participants the emotional consequences of not listening andhopefullyencourage them to practice better listening skills. Split your group into two smaller groups of equal size and take one group outside the room. Tell them that they are instructed to stop listening to their partner after about 30 seconds, and to be open in showing their disinterest. Tell the other group to think of something that they are passionate about and be prepared to tell their soon-to-be partner a meaningful or personally relevant story about this topic. Bring the other group back in, put all the participants into pairs, and tell them to get started. Observe the behavior from the listeners and the reactions from the speakers until youre sure each speaker has picked up on whats happening. Stop the conversations at this point and explain the instructions that were given to each group. Facilitate a group discussion on the importance of listening, how to use active listening, and what indicates that someone is truly listening. 3. Listener and Talker ActivityThe Listener and Talker activity is another good activity for showing the importance of active listening and giving participants a chance to practice their skills. Divide your group into pairs, with one partner assigned to the talker role and the other assigned to the listener role. The talkers job is to describe what he or she wants from a vacation without specifying a destination. The listeners job is to listen attentively to what is being said (and what is not being said) and to demonstrate their listening through their behavior. After a few minutes of active listening, the listener should summarize the three or main criteria the talker is considering when it comes to enjoying their vacation. Finally, the listener should try to sell the talker on a destination for their vacation. After a quick debrief on how well the listener listened, the two should switch roles and try the exercise again. This exercise gives each participant a chance to practice talking about their wants and needs, as well as an opportunity to engage in active listening and use the knowledge they gained to understand and relate to the speaker. 4. Memory Test ActivityThis great activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is called the Memory Test activity. Heres how it works:
You (and your participants) will find that its pretty difficult to remember a list of somewhat-random words, especially when there is a break in time and another discussion in between hearing them and recalling them! Relate this to real-life listening by emphasizing the importance of paying attention to people when they are speaking to you, especially if its an important conversation. 5. Just Listen ActivityThis activity comes from the folks at MindTools.com and offers participants a chance to communicate their feelings and provide a recap or rephrasing of another persons feelings on a subject. To get started, you will need an even number of people to pair off (or prepare to partner with one yourself) and eight index cards per pair. These index cards should have one topic written on each card; try to make sure the topics are interesting but not too controversial, as you dont want listeners to dislike the speakers if they disagree with their viewpoint (e.g., you should probably avoid politics and religion). Use these instructions to conduct the activity:
After each participant has played both roles, end the activity and guide a discussion with the following questions:
You will find this activity at this link, exercise #4. 6 Nonverbal Communication Activities for AdultsImage via PxhereNonverbal communication is just as important as verbal communication, if not more so! Use these 6 activities to practice reading and speaking effective nonverbal messages. 1. Power of Body LanguageThis activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com will help your participants work on their body language skills. Heres how it works:
Share this observation with your group and lead a discussion on how body language can influence our understanding and our reactions. It can reinforce what we hear or it can interfere with the verbal communication we receive. The more aware we are of this possibility, the better communicators we become. Its vital to keep your own body language in mind, just as its vital to notice and understand others body language. 2. Clap and FollowThe Clap and Follow activity is a great way to practice using your body in conjunction with verbal communication. It works like this:
If you have a competitive group, you may want to bring a prize to ensure active engagement with the exercise. It will give participants a chance to practice nonverbal communication in a fun context. 3. Wordless ActingThis activity from Grace Fleming (2018) at ThoughtCo will show your participants how much we speak with our body language and facial expressions. Here are the instructions:
This is the script you will give each participant: A: Have you seen my book? I cant remember where I put it. After the activity, guide a discussion on how much information we can pick up from nonverbal communication and how important it is to regulate our bodies and our facial expressions when communicating, even if were also using verbal communication. 4. We Have to Move Now!Another great exercise from Grace Fleming (2018) is called We Have to Move Now! and it will help your participants learn how to express and detect several different emotions. These are the instructions for this activity:
After each participant has had a chance to read the sentence based on one of the prompts, run through the emotions displayed and see how many each participant guessed correctly. Finally, lead a debriefing discussion on how things like tone and body language can impact the way a message is received. 5. Stack the DeckAll youll need for this exercise is a deck of playing cards, a blindfold for each participant, and some space to move around. Heres how Stack the Deck works:
As always, you can offer a prize to the winning team to motivate your participants. This exercise will show how difficult it is to communicate without words, but it will also show your participants that it is not only possible, it gets easier as they start to pick up on one anothers nonverbal cues. You can find this exercise at this link (Activity #3). 6. Silent MovieFinally, facilitate this activity to really drive home the importance of effective nonverbal communication. Divide your participants into two groups. For the first half of the activity, one group will be screenwriters and the other group will be actors. In the second half, the two groups will switch roles. Instruct the screenwriters to write a silent movie, but to keep these things in mind:
Give the screenwriters time to write out their script, then have the actors perform the script. Once the scene is finished, have the groups switch roles. 2 Communication Group ActivitiesOther great activities for group communication include the Square Talk and Follow All Instructions activities. 1. Square Talk ActivityFor this activity, you will need one blindfold for each participant, one long piece of rope for each team (teams should be composed of around 5 participants each), and 25 minutes. Follow these steps to give this activity a try:
Once the teams have given this activity their best shot, use these 5 discussion questions to review the importance of good group communication:
2. Follow All Instructions ActivityThis activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is a great one for young people, but it can be used with participants of all ages. All youll need is a set of instructions for each participant. Here are the instructions:
As you can see, the instructions include lots of silly directives (e.g., When you get to this point in the test, stand up, then sit down and continue with the next item.) that will identify who is following the directions and who is notbut the person that stands is actually the one not following directions! The first and only verbal instruction you will give participants is to read all the written instructions first before engaging in any of the directives. The first person to complete the list will be declared the winner of the activity. You can offer a prize to the winner if you think the group would be motivated by it. This exercise is a fun way to see who is paying attention and who is skipping the most vital instructionto read everything before acting. Image via Pxhere17 Exercises to Help Improve Communication in a RelationshipIf youre specifically looking for ways to improve your communication in a romantic relationship, these 17 exercises are a great place to start! 7 Communication Games for CouplesDefeating Divorce shares the following three games aimed at improving communication in a romantic relationship. 1. CopycatThis game is goal-directed, meaning the couple is working towards a common goal, and that goal requires effective communication. Heres how it works:
This game takes some serious teamwork and good communication, and it can be repeated as needed to help a couple build their skills. 2. MinefieldMinefield is a physical game that will not only get both partners up and moving, but it will also require a great deal of trust and communication to complete the challenge. You will need a blindfold for one partner, some space to navigate, and some objects with which you can create a minefield or obstacle course. Once the course is ready to go, blindfold one partner and bring them into the room. The challenge here is for the non-blindfolded partner to guide the blindfolded partner through the obstacle course using only verbal communication. The couple will only succeed if the blindfolded partner has trust in their partner and the non-blindfolded partner is an effective verbal communicator. Feelings of frustration are common in this game, but it can be a great way to highlight issues in communication or, alternately, highlight the couples communication strengths. 3. Give Me a HandThis game is another one that can be frustrating for the couple but ultimately provides a great opportunity to build effective communication skills and unite the two in a common goal. In this game, the couple will be given a seemingly easy task to complete, such as buttoning a shirt or tying a shoe, but with a catcheach partner will have one arm tied behind their back. The couple will find that the lack of one arm makes the task much more difficult than they might expect! To complete the task, the couple will need to communicate effectively and coordinate their movements. It will be tough, but immensely satisfying to successfully complete this challenge! Find more communication games here. 4. Twenty Questions Times TwoIf you remember the game Twenty Questions, youll recognize this game. It can be used to help couples communicate, share important details, and strengthen their connection. Heres how:
This fun twist on a familiar game will result in greater knowledge and understanding of your spouse and, hopefully, better communication skills. 5. Eye-to-EyeThis game is a good way for couples to work on communicating and improving their connection, and all you need is your eyes! Heres how to do it:
Many people find this game uncomfortable at first, but with practice, it can greatly enhance your sense of intimacy with your partner. 6. The Top ThreeSimilar to the three good things exercise, this games aim is to boost a couples gratitude for one another and give them both a chance to practice expressing it. Couples should schedule a time for this game every day, but the good news is that it doesnt take longjust a few minutes will do. To play The Top Three, couples should follow these instructions:
This game gets couples to practice vocalizing their appreciation and expressing gratitude, two things that are not necessarily in everyones daily communications but can have a big impact on a relationship. 7. Make a PlaydatePlaydates are not just for kids or puppiesthey are a great idea for couples as well! A play date is not your average, regularly scheduled programming sort of date, but something that is different, spontaneous, unique, and/or just plain fun! Here are the three ground rules for the playdate:
Planning this date will not only make it easier to feel connected and closer to one another, but it also provides couples with an opportunity to communicate their love for one another through their actions. Depending on the date activity, it can also provide some much-needed time for the couple to talk. 5 Exercises and Activities for Married CouplesThese exercises, also from Defeating Divorce, are not just for married couples, but for anyone in a committed relationship. 1. Fireside ChatsThis communication exercise is based on President Franklin D. Roosevelts fireside chats, in which he addressed the American people with the intention of making it feel as if he was speaking directly into their living room, carrying on a calm and rational discussion of important issues. The intention of this exercise for couples is similar: to make the couple feel more connected, more aware of what is going on in each others lives, and to maintain a pulse on how the relationship is going. The two partners should schedule a 15 to 30-minute fireside chat each week to practice their ability to speak calmly, respectfully, and effectively about important and relevant issues. They should minimize the chances of distraction (turn off the TV, put their phones on silent, etc.) and focus only on one another for these chats. What the couple discusses is up to them, but if there are salient relationship issues, this is a good time to talk about them. If the issues are very serious, it may be a good idea to start out this exercise talking about less intense, less emotional topics before moving on to the problem areas. 2. High-Low ActivityThe high-low activity also aims to help couples feel more connected and in touch with one another, which requires measured and thoughtful communication. Engaging in this exercise daily will give the couple a chance to practice their communication skills on a regular basis, as well as their active listening skills. Heres how the exercise works:
This simple activity will result in a more intimate and understanding relationship between the two partners, all for just a few minutes a day. 3. Listening Without WordsIf a couple wants to practice both their verbal and nonverbal communication, this is a great way to do it. The Listening Without Words activity allows each partner to apply both verbal and nonverbal communication skills, as it involves switching between only speaking and only listening. This is how to practice it:
This exercise is a great way to boost your bond and your skills at the same time. 4. Eye See YouSimilar to a previous exercise (Eye-to-Eye), this exercise relies heavily on eye contact; however, unlike the previous exercise, this one does not allow talking until the end. Heres how to give it a try:
It might surprise some people to hear what their partner was thinking and feeling during the activity, but a strong relationship depends on understanding and empathizing with one another, making communication like this a necessity. 5. Send Me a PostcardAlthough weve mostly focused on verbal communication and communications via body language, facial expressions, and touch, there is another form that we havent mentioned: written communication. This activity guides the couple in developing more effective written communication skills. Both partners should have two blank postcards and something to write with for this exercise. On one postcard, each partner will write down a message to the other partner communicating a frustration, a feeling, or a desire. They should take a few minutes to create a thoughtful message to their partner. Once they have their postcard ready to mail each partner will deliver their message to their partner without any verbal communication. They will both read their partners message and take a few moments to process. When they feel ready, they will use their remaining blank postcard to craft a response to their partners message. When both partners have finished writing their response, they will deliver those messages to one another as well. After they have both read the response postcards, the couple can debrief and discuss their messages to one another. 5 Communication Exercises for Couples TherapyIf youre hungry for more couples communication exercises, maybe these five exercises will hit the spot! 1. Active ListeningActive listening is not the easiest skill to master, but it is an important one to develop. This exercise from marriage counseling expert Racheal Tasker will give you a chance to practice it with the person closest to you. The next time you and your partner are talking about something important or sensitive, put these tips and techniques into practice:
2. Sharing Emotions FreelyIt can be tough to be truly open with our emotions, but its vital for effective communication and a healthy relationship. Try this exercise to work on this skill. The couple should agree to try this exercise together and follow these instructions:
3. Use Positive LanguageAnother great exercise from Racheal Tasker is focused on using positive language with one another. It can be surprisingly easy to slide into a pattern of mostly neutral or even negative language with your partner, but you can use this exercise to counter that tendency. Heres what to do:
As partners continue to practice this exercise on a regular basis, they will find that their communication style grows more positive with less effort, and their relationship will flourish (Tasker, n.d.). 4. Take a Trip TogetherTheres nothing like traveling with someone to work on your communication skills! Making a trip successful requires tons of communication, coordination, and clear expectations, but it can also open you up to fun new experiences and relaxation. To practice communicating with your partner, try planning and taking a trip together. Plan your trip with a focus on doing things you both like, going to a place youd both like to visit, and trying new food, activities, and other experiences together. Getting out of your routine and into a novel environment can do wonders for your communicationnot to mention your overall mood. Use some of the other tips and techniques mentioned in this article when you are planning your trip and while you are enjoying your trip; youre sure to see some improvements to your communication with your partner (Tasker, n.d.). You can find this exercise at this link, second exercise from the bottom. 5. I Feel (Blank)The final exercise from Tasker is called I Feel _____ and its a simple one. We often have trouble sharing our feelings, even (or especially) with those we are closest to. A great way to work on communicating your feelings more oftenand more effectivelyis to practice saying I feel (blank). The next time you are experiencing strong emotions or discussing a sensitive or difficult subject with your partner, try beginning your sentences with I feel and continue from there. So, if youre upset with your partner for forgetting about an important appointment or canceling plans at the last minute, instead of saying You dont respect my time, try I feel like you dont respect my time. Framing your discussion in this manneras a statement of your feelings rather than a personal attack or blaming sessionis not only conducive to greater understanding, it also shows your partner that you care about having a constructive conversation and that your intentions are not to hurt them but to help them see from your perspective. The Importance of Communication in the Family UnitCommunication within the family is vital for the same reasons as in any other contextit forms the foundation of the relationship, allows the family members to share their thoughts with each other, and provides opportunities for the family to problem-solve, build stronger bonds, and grow closer.According to researchers Peterson and Green (2009), family communication is so important because:
The benefits of high-quality communication make spending time on improving the way family members relate to one another a task that is well worth the time spent on it. If youre interested in working on your communication skills as a family, give the following activities and exercises a try. 14 Family Therapy Activities for CommunicationThese 14 activities are great tools to use in family therapy, but you can also try them at home. 4 Group Exercises for the FamilyThese four group exercises are a great introduction to communication skill-building as a family. Theyre fun, engaging, and good for all ages! 1. What If?The best time to work on communication skills is when families take the time to just sit and relax together. This simple game is a great way to do that, allowing families to improve how they communicate with one another while laughing together and putting their imagination to good use. You will need strips of paper, a pencil or pen for each family member, and two bowls. Heres how the exercise works:
Use the following questions to guide your discussion as a family:
You can find this exercise in the Helping Youth Succeed PDF from Thomas R. Lee and Tami Pyfer at the Utah State University Extension. 2. Expressing IndividualityAlthough families usually share values, norms, and beliefs, that doesnt mean all family members will see things the same way. It can be hard for some family members to communicate their thoughts and feelings when they feel like the odd one out or a black sheep in the family. To make sure your family is a safe space for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings, give the Expressing Individuality activity a try. It will help each family member understand that they are a valuable part of the family and that they are always free to share their unique perspective. Youll need about an hour for this activity, 15 minutes to make the dough and 45 minutes for the activity itself. Use one of the recipes below to make your own play dough as a family. If you want to make reusable play dough, mix together:
After mixing these ingredients together, put over low heat and stir slowly. When the dough has formed into a small ball, remove it from the heat and knead while still warm. Store the clay in a sealed container. If you plan on baking your designs at the end of this activity to preserve them, mix together:
Follow these instructions to encourage each family member to express their individuality:
To continue working on communicating your individuality as a family, ask these questions and discuss your answers together:
If the idea of creating a figure out of play dough doesnt appeal to you, you can also try these two alternatives:
This activity can also be found in the PDF mentioned above. 3. Hints of AngerAnger is a normal human emotion, and we will all get angry at some point. Instead of trying to avoid or deny anger, its vital that families learn how to manage their anger and communicate it to others in a healthy way. This activity will help family members identify their anger cues (the signs that indicate they are getting angry) and help them regulate their emotions to ensure they dont say or do something they will regret. Heres how to do this activity as a family:
After the activity, discuss these questions as a family:
4. Family MeetingsFamily meetings are a good idea for a lot of reasons, but yet another benefit of these get-togethers is the potential for building and developing better communication skills as a family. Regular family meetings can help family members learn how to:
Pick one night of the week when your family can consistently get together for a weekly family meeting that lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and make sure its scheduled on everyones calendar. Heres how to conduct good family meetings:
After your first family meeting, discuss these questions as a family:
See this exercise in the Helping Youth Succeed PDF. 4 Active Listening ExercisesActive listening is a vital part of communication and can greatly improve relationships between family members. These four active listening exercises are a great way to boost your skills. 1. Precision CommunicationAnother activity from the Helping Youth Succeed PDF that can help your family build and continue to develop good communication skills is called Precision Communication. Its focused on active listening, which is a vital part of communication and conducive to better understanding and stronger, healthier relationships. Heres how to put this activity into practice:
This activitys aim is to see if the family member giving instructions can help the blindfolded family member get through the maze without bumping into the furniture, walls, or string. This means that not only must the speaking family member communicate clear and detailed instructions, but the blindfolded family member must also use their active listening skills to receive the instructions and implement them effectively. Use these discussion questions to debrief and maximize this learning opportunity:
If you want more from this activity, try this follow-up: Draw a simple picture or pattern on a piece of paper. Without letting family members see the diagram, tell them what they need to do to make a copy of your picture that matches as closely as possible. After giving detailed instructions, see how accurately the pictures match up. 2. End of the WordBeginning of the NextThis is a fun game on the Encourage Play website that can keep your kids actively engaged in building their listening skills. Heres how to play:
This is an easy game to play since you dont need any materials, just a few minutes and the ability to hear one another! That makes it a great game for car rides, waiting in restaurants, or standing in a long line. To make it more challenging, give it a bit of complexity by limiting the words to a category, like animals or cities. 3. Red Light Green LightAnother exercise from the Encourage Play website is a familiar one. Its based on the classic Red Light, Green Light game in which the leader gives instructions by color: saying red light means stop and saying green light means go. To make the game a bit more challenging and really emphasize the importance of active listening, incorporate these three variations to the game:
4. Tell a Group StoryGroup stories are a great way to practice active listening with the whole family. It also gives kids a chance to be creative and silly, which helps to keep them engaged in the activity. Heres how it works:
This activity boosts active listening skills because it requires careful and attentive listening to what has already been said in order to make a good contribution to the story. 3 Assertive Communication ExercisesOne of the best skills to teach your kids is how to be assertive instead of aggressive or passive (or passive-aggressive). Use these three exercises to help them learn this important skill. 1. Assertive Communication WorksheetThis worksheet is a great way to help older kids understand the difference between types of communication and to learn how to communicate assertively. The worksheet first provides a good working definition of assertive communication:
It also outlines the traits of people who are assertive communicators, including:
Next, it shares four tips on communicating assertively:
After some examples of assertive communication, we get to the active part of the worksheet. Its geared toward adults, but the scenarios can be tweaked to fit kids as well. There are four situations presented and space to write out your own assertive response to each. These situations are:
Working through these scenarios as a family can help your kids see what healthy assertive communication looks like and show them that its okay to say no sometimes. 2. The Aggressive AlligatorThe Aggressive Alligator is a great tool from Kristina Marcelli-Sargent, for teaching assertiveness over-aggressiveness or passiveness. It makes what can be a dry and boring subject more interesting and engaging. Start by giving simple definitions to the terms passive, aggressive, and assertive. Next, show them a list of animals or a bin of small stuffed animals and allow them to choose an animal that they feel represents each definition. The aggressive animal doesnt need to be an alligator, it can be anything that makes sense to your children. After your kids have chosen an animal for each term, describe some social situations and instruct your kids to act them out with their animals. Each animal should act according to the definition it represents (e.g., the aggressive alligator should act aggressively, the passive panda should act passively, and the assertive anteater should act assertively). Once all scenarios have been acted out, talk to your kids about how the outcomes differed between the three animals. Point out which one(s) resulted in a positive outcome and which one(s) should probably be avoided. In the future, you can refer back to the assertive anteater to remind your kids to be assertive instead of passive or aggressive (Sargent, 2015). 3. Keeping CoolA great lesson for kids to learn is that assertive communication is about being firm and direct without being angry or upset. This activity will help you teach healthy assertiveness to your kids or students. Heres how to go about it:
Discuss these options with the whole group and decide together on what the best techniques are, then practice using them together. Click here to read about this exercise from the Education Development Centers Bullying Prevention program. 3 Nonverbal Communication ExercisesFinally, although verbal communication is generally the focus of skill-building exercises and activities, nonverbal communication is also a vital skill to develop. Use these 3 exercises to help your kids build their nonverbal skills. 1. Understanding Non-Verbal CommunicationThings like tone of voice, facial expressions, body posture, and hand gestures are all non-verbal, but they are hugely important in our communication with others. If we say one thing with our words and another with our face or body, we can end up giving mixed messages and confusing others. To make sure we are saying what we want to say with our words and our face, body, and tone, help your kids learn how to understand and speak non-verbal communications. Heres how the folks at Utah State University Extensions Helping Youth Succeed series describe this activity: As a family, make a list of different non-verbal actions. For example, folding your arms, snorting, frowning, etc Select a TV program or a segment of a video. Watch about 5 to 7 minutes of the program with the volume off. While watching the program without volume, identify the different non-verbal messages, especially the feelings that are expressed. After 5 to 7 minutes, turn off the TV and discuss what you observed. You could even carry on the discussion as the program continues. To get the discussion started, use questions like:
If you want more from this exercise, try this follow-up activity. Seat two family members away from each other and have them carry on a conversation about giving directions to somewhere or explaining how to do something. As they talk, they should focus on trying to understand the other persons feelings. After doing this for a few minutes, the two should turn around, face each other, and continue the discussionthey will likely find it much easier! Use the following questions to guide your discussion after the follow-up:
2. CharadesCharades is a popular game with kids since its fun, easy to play, and can result in some seriously silly situations. Heres what you need to do:
Acting out these prompts will give kids an opportunity to practice communicating non-verbally, a skill that they can easily build over time (Simmons, n.d.). This nonverbal communication activityis available from Sue Simmons at Equinox Family Consulting. 3. Silent SnackFinally, another activity from Sue Simmons is called Silent Snack and it gives young children a chance to have fun while building their nonverbal communication skills. Follow these instructions to give it a try:
Its a simple activity, but an effective one! Give it a try at your next snack time. A Take-Home MessageI hope you leave this piece with a treasure trove of new resources you can use to improve your own life or the lives of your clients. Communication skills are one of the most important skills a person can have, making it well worth your while to devote some time and energy to develop them. What are your favorite ways to work on communicating with your spouse? Do you schedule a time to talk about how your relationship is doing or do you just let it flow naturally? What do you think are the best ways to build, enhance, and maintain your communication skills? Let us know in the comments section. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Dont forget to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free. References
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