Teaching Tools, Strategies, and Resources, continued

Communication Styles, continued

Guidance for faculty, trainers and facilitators

This exercise is designed to have trainees/students reflect on their individual communication styles. It is important to emphasize that there are no value judgments ascribed to any point on any continuum. Additionally, this exercise can be used to uncover problems that trainees/students may have experienced in communicating with others.

Ask trainees/students to reflect on these experiences and to discuss the possible perspectives and the communication styles of the other party or parties. Ask them how these different communication styles might manifest themselves in interactions with: a) patients or clients; b) colleagues; c) subordinates or supervisors; and d) community members.

Adapted from the exercise found in “Culture Matters,” retrieved December 20, 2003, from http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/culturematters/Ch3/culturecomm.html

Other resources to aid self-discovery

Learning can be enhanced by both “reflection-on-action,” the practice of thinking back on and analyzing past situations, and “reflection-in-action,” which consists of the practice of applying past experiences and perspectives to new situations and being able to continue to interact while making adjustments based on what one discerns about the process. See the following resources for more information:

Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

Westberg, J., & Jason, H. (2001). Fostering reflection and providing feedback: Helping others learn from experiences. New York: Springer.