A quote by Greek philosopher Epictetus: – We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Task 1: Discuss the questions.
• What does the quote mean? Do you agree with it?
* The quote means that we should listen to the person were talking to before speaking so we might not misunderstand each other which I 100% agree with.
• When we communicate, what is more important: listening or talking?
* Talking is important to start a communication but listening is more important.
• What are the qualities of a good communicator?
* The qualities of a good communications’ are too hear each other out and not argue too much.
• What problems might occur when communicating with someone?
* If people don’t hear each other out or have opposite ideas’.
Task 2: Complete the table with words that go with these verbs. Some words can be matched to more than one verb.
feedback, thoughts, ideas, confusion, meaning,
misunderstanding, miscommunication, message, animosity,
receive, share, grasp, prevent, interpret, lead to
*receive- message, feedback/ share- thoughts, ideas/ grasp- meaning/ prevent-misunderstanding, miscommunication, animosity, confusion/ interpret-thoughts, message, feedback/ lead to-confusion, misunderstanding, miscommunication, animosity.
Task 3. Fill in the sentences with the correct form of the verbs from the table above and then discuss these points.
• Asking people questions usually lead to miscommunication.
• One of the most common reasons that leads to misunderstandings is the
use of complicated sentence structures.
• It only makes sense to share positive feedback as it keeps everyone happy.
• People with various knowledge, experience and cultural backgrounds
interpret messages in a different way.
Task 4. Watch the first part of a video (to 3:10) titled “How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it)” and choose correct answers.
1) The transmission model:
A. means that communication is a one-way process
2) In the transactional model:
C. people give and receive feedback
3) Perceptual filters….
C. change meanings and interpretation of messages we receive
Task 5. Complete these rules of good communication with words given below.
filters, gut, open, express. engage,
1: Engage actively with the verbal and nonverbal feedback of others, and adjust your message to facilitate greater understanding.
2: Listen with your eyes and ears, as well as with your gut . Remember that communication is more than just words.
3: In the rush to express ourselves, it’s easy to forget that communication is a two -way street. Be open to what the other person might say.
4: Be aware of your personal perceptual filters . Elements of your experience, including your culture, community, and family, influence how you see the world.
Task 6: Watch the second part of the video (from 3:10) and check your answers in the previous exercise.
Task 7: Discuss the rules above. What do they mean? How easy do you think it is to follow these rules?
The fist rule means that we should engage actively with others and adjust our message with better understandings. The second rule means that we should listen very carefully not just with our ears but with our gut and eyes, since communication is more than mere words. The third rule means that while we express our feelings we sometime forget about what the other person is talking about. The fourth rule means that we should be careful what we talk about sometimes since it might offend the other person we are talking to. Following these rules for a starter is a bit hard, but during communicating experience one might get the hang of these 4 rules.
- Discuss the questions.
• Do you think that people tend to use too many words to communicate their ideas? -Yes they do, because if they want to convince the person their talking to the need brief explanations.
• What can we do to be better communicators? -Go out and communicate with people is the best way to be better at communicating.
• In what kinds of situations do you have to ask someone to rephrase what they’ve said? -When many other people are communicating with me and I lose track to who to listen, and I’ll kindly apologize to the person who asked me a question to repeat it for me. - Match phrases to correct categories.
• In other words, …
• I don’t quite follow….
• Can you elaborate on that?
• I don’t fully understand…
• Could you be more specific?
• I didn’t catch that.
• Could you repeat?
• To put it another way…
• Just to be clear, you’re
suggesting that…
• To be more specific….
• Can you say that again?
• I don’t get it…
• Would you mind speaking more
slowly?
• So, you’re saying that…
• If I understand you correctly…
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but
you’re saying that…
• Let me clarify that…
1: You want someone to clarify
what they’ve said
In other words…-let me clarify that…-so, you’re saying that…-correct me if I’m wrong, but
you’re saying that…-to put it another way…-just to be clear, you’re suggesting that…-to be more specific…-if I understand you correctly… .
2: You didn’t hear something
I don’t quite follow…-can you elaborate on that?-I don’t fully understand…- I didn’t catch that.-could you repeat?-can you say that again?-I don’t get it…-would you mind speaking more slowly?
3: You want to explain/clarify something
you’ve already said
In other words…-let me clarify that…-so, you’re saying that…-correct me if I’m wrong, but
you’re saying that…-to put it another way…-just to be clear, you’re suggesting that…-to be more specific…-if I understand you correctly…-correct me if I’m wrong, but
you’re saying that… .
4: You want to check if you understand what
someone has just said
So, you’re saying that…-just to be clear, you’re suggesting that…-correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re saying that…-to put it another way…-to be more specific… .
10. What would you say in these situations? Use the expressions from the exercise on the previous page to complete these dialogues.
a) A: First, you need to know the nuts and bolts of running a business.
B: I don’t fully understand what you mean by nuts and bolts.
A: It means that you need to know at least basic details about running a business.
b) A: I’m going to finish this task soon.
B: Could you be more specific you’ll make it for the movie. Everyone’s waiting for you.
A: Yeah, I’ll finish by Friday.
c) A: If you want to add a new vendor to the system, you have to click this button
and type the vendor’s details.
B: That’s it? I’m not sure if I know what to do. Could you be more specific?
A: Ok, so you click this button and type your vendor’s details. Remember that all
fields should be filled in. Then, you click ‘accept’ in the top right corner. After a
second, you’ll see the information on your screen whether your form has been
completed correctly or not. If not, you need to repeat the process.
d) A: So, I asked her if she knows… and how about … But she…
B: I’m sorry, but I’ve just switched off. Can you say that again?
e) A: He wasn’t really honest with us.
B: Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re saying that he was lying all this time?
A: Yes, he was a liar.
f) A: Your name, please.
B: Jane Kowalski. K – O – W – A – L – S – K – I.
A: Sorry, I didn’t catch that . Would you mind speaking more
slowly?
g) A: You should present the product, talk about all its advantages, give them the
price and make sure they buy it.
B: If I understand you correctly, I just need to sell it.
A: Yeah, to put it another way, just sell it.
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