communication assignments for students pdf

Communication Beginnings: An Introductory Listening and Speaking Text for English Language Learners

(15 reviews)

Della Jean Abrahams, Portland State University

ISBN 13: 9781387268634

Publisher: Portland State University Library

Language: English

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Reviewed by Margaret Olin, Adjunct Professor in AESL Department, Holyoke Community College on 6/30/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

In her introduction, Della Jean Abrahams states, “It is my hope that this text can create and facilitate a communicative and productive learning environment for students and their instructors.” Her text, which I think is generally well thought out, well organized, and engaging for her target population, largely meets those goals and could easily be used as a general structural foundation upon which to build an effective adult listening/speaking course. However, if I were to use this text in a course, I would want to carefully check each activity and audio resource to be sure that it is level-appropriate: while the author’s target audience is advanced-beginner / low-intermediate, I find that most of the grammar focused upon would be more appropriate for a beginning-level course, while many of the audio clips and videos contain vocabulary and grammar constructions that would be far more appropriate for intermediate/advanced courses. Also, I would want to elaborate on each level-appropriate grammar or pronunciation focus by providing more in-depth context and explanations plus a greater variety of practice exercises. Nonetheless, I believe that the text provides a valuable structure, a variety of good resources, and a solid approach for learners wanting to strengthen their English listening and speaking skills.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

While I did not notice any bias in the text, I did notice several errors – all of which were in discussions of pronunciation or grammar points. For example, chin movement does not always accompany shifts from syllable to syllable, and each syllable has one vowel sound, not “at least one vowel” (p.7). Another example is on page 67: /s/ and /θ/ were not included in the list of unvoiced consonant sounds. Other content may be confusing or misleading due to brevity. For example, from the very brief introduction to reduced speech (p.48) and lack of recordings of the two lists of sentences, learners may assume it is fine to use reductions when speaking informally, even if they are speaking slowly.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The seven major topics upon which the chapters focus are all areas that adult beginning and intermediate English learners usually find relevant. Some of the specific content, such as prices or particular locations, may become dated over time, although I am guessing that given the nature of open resource texts, those references would be relatively easy to revise. Also, it may be possible to adapt the content for courses that are not university-based, or to highlight the location where the course is being offered.

Clarity rating: 4

Throughout the text, new terms are explained, directions for exercises are usually clear and concise, and written explanations of concepts generally use vocabulary and grammatical constructions that would be accessible to learners at the advanced beginner/low intermediate level – especially in a classroom setting where learners can ask questions and a teacher can provide elaboration. However, the content of many of the explanations is too brief and could lead to confusion or misunderstanding of the concept being introduced; because of this, I think it would be important for the teacher to use those explanations as starting points for presenting the material and then to provide elaboration, rather than letting those sections stand on their own. In particular, I am thinking of the sections explaining grammar points and facets of pronunciation such as syllable stress and sentence intonation. The content of many of the recordings – especially the ELLLO links – is full of vocabulary and grammatical constructions that are more appropriate for intermediate/advanced learners. These recordings would be inaccessible to most learners at the level (advanced beginner/low intermediate) targeted by the text. However, the screencast video presentations on cardinal/ordinal numbers (p.55), describing food (p.45) and “My Day at PSU” (p.58) were comprehensive and would be accessible to advanced-beginner / low-intermediate learners.

Consistency rating: 4

Each chapter follows roughly the same format and sequence, and has similar types of exercises and resource links; as a result, learners should find it easier to focus on new content because they do not have to puzzle over how to navigate the text. This consistency in presentation also reinforces the author’s focus on stressing the dual importance of vocabulary development plus actually using the language both in and out of class in a variety of settings. Also, I appreciate how the vocabulary and concepts are often “recycled” from chapter to chapter. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, however, there are inconsistencies in skill level across various linked resources and elements of the content.

Modularity rating: 5

While I think there would be definite advantages to using the textbook in its entirety, each of the chapters could easily be used as a stand-alone supplement to a course. The numerous external resource links could also be helpful for learners at various proficiency levels, and used within a wide range of skill-based contexts.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The learning strategies and overall structure – repeated from chapter to chapter – can help learners strengthen their approach to enhancing their listening and speaking skills, which they could then apply to other settings as well. The frequent in-class discussion activities plus structured opportunities for interviewing non-classmates may also help learners build confidence in their ability to engage in conversations about daily life.

Interface rating: 5

To me, the layout of the text seems clear and easy to follow, and there are no visible distortions of any of the elements when downloaded as a PDF file. However, in some sections – particularly in Chapter 3 – there seem to be pagination issues which could be confusing to learners: section or assignment headings are “orphaned” at the bottom of the previous page. Also, in the middle of page 63, the directions say, “Turn to the next page to practice listening to the different sounds of past tense verb endings.” but the exercise follows directly on the same page. The “Foods in the United States” form linked from page 45 did not contain the recording link, although the other two forms were fine. I tried most of the links in the textbook, and all were active. I hope that the author will monitor the links to ensure that the ELLLO links and links associated with PSU in particular continue to be active.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammar errors in the writing itself, though did note that there are errors and oversimplifications in the grammar presentations. Also, I was a little surprised to find a sprinkling of British expressions, which may be confusing for an American audience: for example, the British “in your own time”, versus the American “on your own time”.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Some of the exercises/resources may be a tad insensitive to economic diversity. For example, the exercise on page 29 asks learners to discuss choosing between 2 very expensive vacations, or on page 61, there is a listening exercise about describing different houses, with the least expensive costing $500,000, and most of the rest over one million dollars. The only apartment included in the exercise is one in NYC that costs $2,000,000. Many of the linked audio resources on ELLLO included speakers from countries other than the U.S. In terms or racial diversity, however, the majority of speakers pictured appeared to be Caucasians, with Asians a distant second. Also, when locations were mentioned, most tended to be in North America, Europe, Australia, or Asia: there didn’t seem to be much content mentioning areas in Latin America, Africa, or the Middle East. Despite that lack of geographical and racial diversity, I did not find anything that I would consider culturally offensive.

It is far easier to critique a textbook than it is to write one, so I would like to thank Della Jean Abrahams for creating and sharing such a well-organized and useful resource in a field which, as she mentions in her introduction, has woefully few open access textbooks. This textbook provides a solid structure upon which to build in-depth listening and speaking courses appropriate for a variety of proficiency levels.

Reviewed by Matthew Burrows, Lecturer, University of Colorado Boulder on 6/11/20

The index is clear and effective. There is no glossary, but one isn't needed. It is very good as a listening text as there are many links in each chapter. The book is described as "introductory" in the title and then as "advanced beginner-low intermediate" in the introductory comments. Given that these terms can mean quite different things in different programs, it would be helpful to have a CEFR alignment given. The most challenging aspect of the book is that the grammar objectives are at a much lower level than the instructions and some of the practice exercises. I would make a lot of leveling edits were I to use this with an advanced beginner class, but would most likely not use it at a low intermediate level as the grammar objectives are too basic.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I did not find any content errors when reading the book. It is unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The topics are "timeless" and won't become obsolete. It is arranged a a manner that would make any updates easy to implement. However, there are several examples that assume that the readers are in Portland or at Portland State University. This is very unnecessary and greatly restricts its relevance (and even comprehensibility).

Clarity rating: 3

As mentioned in the Comprehensiveness section above, the grammar structures used in the directions and in some of the practice exercises are at a higher learner level than the objectives. A re-leveling of parts of the book would make this far more accessible, especially for learners studying independently and/or remotely.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent. The layout of each chapter is the same, which is especially helpful at lower levels.

The text would be very easy to divide into smaller sections. Individual chapters could easily be used as supplementary material for courses.

It is logically and clearly organized.

The interface is great.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I did not find it to be culturally insensitive or offensive. However, as mentioned above, its relevance is occasionally questionable. For one, there are many exercises that assume that the students are in Portland, or even at Portland State University. One using this elsewhere would need to adjust these parts ahead of time or explain that they needed to be changed. This is easier with some parts than others. Further, given the typical populations at most intensive English programs in the United States, it would be far more culturally relevant and engaging for the students were there to be more exercises with content/examples from China and the Middle East, for example.

Reviewed by Linda Fisher Bruce, adjunct professor, Point Park University on 9/9/19

The book is written appropriately for the reader it targets and covers all areas that are most needed. The colorful pictures are most helpful. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is written appropriately for the reader it targets and covers all areas that are most needed. The colorful pictures are most helpful.

It is in keeping with my understanding of the subject.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

There could be some dated material based upon cultural trends; however, it should not be objectionable or distract from the content being shared.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written in such a manner that it invites the reader to progress by completing assignments and activities. Quite user friendly.

The text is internally consistent in its structure and framework.

Modularity rating: 4

It's chapters are modular in content and progress cohesively for the reader.

Yes, extremely well presented logically and progressively for the reader.

There were no distortions or other display features that distracted from the verbiage being presented.

I did not see any glaring grammatical errors; if there are any, they passed me by.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No, the text is appropriate for a multicultural readership.

I think it was well prepared and easy for the reader.

Reviewed by Skip Barnett, Adjunct Professor of TESOL, Goshen College on 6/19/19

The text does a good job of covering many very useful topics that would engage university/young adult ELLs (travel, food, hobbies, jobs) and it gives many great listening and speaking activities such as pair conversations, oral surveys, and many web links to high-quality English exercises and conversations. It also teaches and practices 10 useful, high-frequency vocabulary words in each chapter, giving students the opportunity to hear and use the words, including a focus on the syllable structure of each word. The two areas in which I would criticize the book, however, are a) the intended audience’s language level and b) the grammar notes in each chapter. The book claims to be aimed at beginners and intermediate level ELLs, but the level of the material would be impossible for beginners, though it would be great for intermediate and even low-level advanced ELLs. On the other hand, most of the grammar notes found in each chapter are very elementary (past and future tense verbs, -s on the end of present tense verbs, pronouns, question formation, prepositions, cardinal and ordinal numbers, etc.) and would be a waste of time for intermediate ELLs. There’s no glossary or index, but this doesn’t seem like a great defect.

I only find one or two inaccuracies in the text; on page 69 the exercise says that the -ed on “helped” is pronounced “id” but this is an error. I also found the lesson on “intonation” (ch. 3) to be simplistic and potentially misleading. The text teaches that intonation goes up or down or up then down at the ends of different types of sentences, but intonation in English is a lot more complicated than that. Intonation is real and needs to be taught, but the explanation in chapter 3 is not very helpful. The content is aimed at middle- to upper middle-class university ELLs and reflects well topics that would be of interest to them. However, I only two African-Americans and no Africans or Latinos represented in any of the activities or listening links, so we could say the text is biased in that way. Asians, Europeans, and North Americans make up virtually all the speakers that I saw.

Content is very up-to-date, but should not be obsolete too soon. As mentioned, the text covers many very useful topics that would be interesting and relevant to university/young adult ELLs (travel, food, hobbies, jobs, etc.).

The text and directions are very clear, but would require the students to be at at least an intermediate level in order to use and understand the text. The only thing that is unclear is that many of the audio links are very hard to hear especially in the first few chapters. By contrast, the web-based links to dialogs are very clear and high-quality.

The organization of the text is very consistent; the same types of exercises are found in each chapter. This would help students know what to expect and what to do as they move from chapter to chapter.

The text is very modular in organization. Certain chapters could be omitted entirely at the discretion of the instructor or they could be taught in any order with no undue problems.

The text was well organized in that each chapter follows a consistent pattern of activities and exercises. The organization from one chapter to the next is fine, but as mentioned, a teacher could teach the chapters in any order they want.

Interface rating: 4

: I don’t find any interface problems or distortion of images or charts except for one fill-in-the-blank chart in which the word “discuss” is written vertically, not horizontally due, I think, to the smallness of the box the word is placed in. All the links to audio sources worked well except that many of the audio exercises in the first half of the book (especially) were very hard to hear and were a bit echo-y. Larger, clearer chapter headings would help. The three links to the food audio files are a bit hard to navigate and no scripts are given for those audio files.

I find no problems with regard to grammar in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

The text is not offensive in any way except that I find only two African-Americans and no Africans or Latinos represented in any of the activities or listening links, so we could say the text is biased in that way. Asians, Europeans, and North Americans make up virtually all the speakers that I saw. Africans, African-Americans, and Latinos (both from the US and from Latin America) need to be represented.

In general, this is a fine Listening-Speaking text with many useful activities, exercises, good content and topics, and great web-links to audio dialogs. I like the emphasis on vocabulary, the layout, and the engaging photos. The lessons on word stress, the sound of –ed on past tense verbs, and introduction of the concept of intonation (although it needs to go deeper) are all important to include. The book needs to give up the idea of being useful for beginners, however, and the grammatical lessons are mainly a waste of time for intermediate ELLs.

Reviewed by Tammy Morris, ELA Civics Coordinator & Instructor, Northshore Technical Community College on 5/20/19

Overall the textbook was well written for its intended audience, the English Language Learner (ELL). I found there were engaging activities for all levels in the NRS panel. The text does index the material well, and offers a vocabulary bank, which is very useful in building a vocabulary for the participants, however there is not a glossary section in the text. I was able to speak with the author of the text to see if she was going to do a supplement for the text on additional grammar components or if she was going to write another text. At this time, she is considering a possible addendum with the grammar, but is uncertain as to when and if that will matriculate. I do feel that the text is comprehensive with the basic foundations of the ELL listening and speaking curriculum components for those who are seeking to improve their English.

The text includes audio as well as relevant visual aides to enhance the material’s objectives in each chapter. The only component missing is possibly more grammar skills. The text does give resource link material for vocabulary indexes.

The text was right on point with a majority of the material, however sometimes the instructions appeared to be bit confusing for the lower level participants. In speaking with the author, she did say this was above the basic level, but could be adapted in several ways for the basic ELL.

Very useful resource that is current and culturally modern. Essentially effective in working with intermediate to advanced ELL students.

The author wrote a clear modulated chapter for each of the 7 units. The terminology was concise and would be understood by most intermediate to advanced ELL students.

Each chapter tends to follow the same path in structure and presentation. Each chapter is framed in the same manner and would be consistent for the student.

I felt the beginning through the end of the final chapter had a flow that was again, consistent. The author built each chapter as a module that could stand on its own, yet have components that built up the next chapter.

Each chapter has a consistent theme and labeled according to each activity. As a matter of fact, each chapter could be pulled as a stand alone unit, as I mentioned previously, for extra emphasis if needed, but the content was formatted in the same easy to follow manner. for the student and the instructor. The components led the learner through vocabulary, a small portion of grammar which could be extended, critical thinking and speaking / communication practice.

Visually this text offers many resources for the participant to learn the material. Very well laid out in a clear, easy and logical format that is repeated with each of the 7 units. The author offers resource link material as well, to enhance the text material. The text is easy to navigate for the intermediate to advanced level ELL student.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I did not find grammatical errors, but there were some examples that were city and location specific that could be made into a stretch inclusive example with broader terminology, as well as a more universal perspective.

Accurately portrayed material that was relevant to all ELL students who were seeking to improve their English.

The text could use more grammar content, which again, I did discuss with the author, but overall it is a good start to building a text for the ELL community. It is not a basic textbook for the low level learner, but can be adapted if the instructor adds supplemental material to the text. I do feel it would work well in a multi-level classroom and would enhance class discussions with the audio components. Overall the author did complete a collection of modules necessary, that met educational CCR points and were presented in a logical manner. At this time, there is not a teacher's manual to work with this text.

Reviewed by Jennie Harrop, Chair, Department of Professional Studies, George Fox University on 3/4/19

Communication Beginnings offers an admirably comprehensive foundation for university-level learners who need a rudimentary review of basic tenets of the English language. Written at a level that is acceptable for beginning to intermediate non-native English speakers, Communication Beginnings covers essential skills through written definitions, practical exercises, discussion questions, and helpful audio content.

The content in this book is precise and accurate.

The information in Communication Beginnings is basic and timeless, and the audio links bring the information into an active 21st-century level of engagement.

Abraham's prose is crisp and clear, and she maintains a helpful sensitivity to the needs of beginning language learners.

The content of Communication Beginnings is consistent through all seven chapters, with effective exercises and listening modules throughout.

Communication Beginnings is arranged topically for English language learners, with patterns of definitions, exercises, audio components, and photos that repeat throughout. Each single topic could be taught in isolation, or the content of the book could be offered to students in entirety.

The content is presented incrementally, with each new level of content building on the previous. The progression is systematic and builds logically for non-native English language learners.

The book's layout is clean and effective, and the links to outside content are live and accurate, giving the book an added dimension that makes the content even more accessible and engaging for readers.

The book does not have errors, and the author does a nice job of walking readers through step-by-step reminders of the basic structures of the English language.

The author maintains a sensitivity throughout the book to non-native English language speakers and the plethora of cultures that category likely includes.

I am impressed with the varying modes presented in this textbook: definitions, exercises, discussions, color photos, and audio links. Students at a variety of levels are likely to remain engaged and actively learning.

Reviewed by Aleta Utaatu, Adjunct Instructor, Chemeketa Community College on 2/13/19

The text includes an index and page numbers, which is very helpful if it is being printed out and distributed to students. The book lacks a glossary. More grammar instruction would add depth to the book. Grammar points are only lightly covered,... read more

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The difficulty of the book do not match the difficulty of the grammar points. The students who can understand the content would most likely not need these particular grammar tips. Those who would benefit, would not be able to comprehend the instructions.

The text is very relevant and covers topics that are useful to students. For example, housing and vacations will always be topics of conversation.

The book is clearly written. There are pictures to go along with the stories. There are also charts to help students visualize. The only formatting issue I saw was on page 59, and this is an easy fix.

The book is easy to follow and the content level stays the same from chapter to chapter.

Each chapter is structured the same, making it easy to follow. Each has vocabulary, some kind of grammar point, a listening exercise and a discussion section. It is very well organized. Each page also is headed with the chapter number making it easy to know where you are in the book.

The topics are presented in a logical manner, but they are also done in a way that they could each be their own stand alone unit. Chapter 1 introduces syllables (which to me is more of a pronunciation issue than a grammar tip) and Chapter 2 deals with the present tense. By the last chapter the past tense is introduced.

There do not seem to be any navigation or interface issues. The only error I saw, which I already mentioned, was on page 59 and was a simple formatting error. Other than that, the text was distraction free. The charts and images enhanced the content of the book.

I did not come across any grammar errors.

This book is culturally sensitive. I did not find anything that could be construed as offensive.

I believe the content of the book is much to high for a beginner or even an intermediate. The introduction would be very difficult for a beginner or low intermediate student. Even the vocabulary words I consider to be more on the level of low advanced.

Reviewed by Colleen Shields, ESL Instructor, Lane Community College on 1/5/19

There is a good range of topics/themes covered in the book (food, jobs, etc.) and some important skills, such as recognizing reduced speech and intonation for questions vs. statements. There is no index/glossary, although that would be very useful for ESL learners. It would be helpful to have more sample speech chunks to help beginning students navigate their interactions, such as "Could you please repeat that?" or "I don't understand".

There are a few issues with accuracy. Firstly, I would never use this book with beginning students - the vocabulary, directions, and activities are far too complex. For example, "strategy" and "region" are not high frequency enough to be useful to beginning students. Some vocabulary words were also used oddly. For example, "Some products are produced ___". The vocabulary word given was "national", but even if a beginning student knew to change it to the adverb form "nationally", it wouldn't be used that way. (We would say, "domestically"). I did not notice any bias.

I don't see any material that will quickly become out-of-date, although I am surprised that language books still teach asking for directions, even in the age of GoogleMaps!

Clarity rating: 2

The instructions and explanations were often dense and complex, especially for a beginner. Also, some definitions would likely cause as much confusion as the vocabulary words themselves. For example, "country" is defined as "An area of land controlled by a government." Beginning, and even low-intermediate students, probably wouldn't know most of the words in that definition, nor the passive voice. Activities could have the first answer done as an example that students can use as a model.

There seemed to be a consistent sequence of instruction and activities for each chapter.

The chapters could probably be introduced in almost any order and as stand-alone units.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics/themes could be presented in any order, but the grammar concepts generally get more advanced throughout the book, so the current order is probably best. I was confused why syllables are introduced in Chapter 1 and emphasized when learning new vocabulary in each chapter, yet syllable stress isn't taught until Chapter 7. Would stress not be as important, if not more important, than syllabification for comprehensibility?

Interface rating: 2

There are frequent formatting issues, such as spacing, capitalization, and font/bullet size. For example, p. 59 - "similarities" in not capitalized, but "Differences" is. Below that, the word "D i s c u s s" trails downwards. Such formatting issues may cause confusion for beginning students who wonder if there might be a linguistic reason for the inconsistencies. Pictures do not always aid in comprehension of the content, such as the lightbulb in the thought bubble.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

Grammar is minimally addressed. Present tense, for example, got very little instruction and never explained the helper/auxiliary verbs do/does. Discussion questions often use verb tenses, such as simple past or present perfect, that had not been covered yet.

I didn't detect any cultural insensitivity.

It would be great to map the objectives of the book to a set of learning standards.

Reviewed by Nohelia Rojas-Miesse, Senior Lecturer, Miami University on 6/19/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 2 see less

Effective table of content. However, it is lacking and index and glossary. A glossary could be useful being that this textbook is geared towards non-English speakers. All the instructions are in English and written in a way that could be problematic for novice learners to comprehend. The vocabulary section of the book seems very weak and the words are not high frequency words. An introductory book needs more basic vocabulary. The listening activities jump to production, which is a difficult task for a novice learner. There should be a gradual process from interpretive to production. I suggest to model listening activities after the Interpretive Guide from ACTFL

I did not find errors and the content presented is unbiased

The content can stay relevant as long as the supporting materials (websites for listening practice) stay current.

Yes, the words are clear. Instructions for activities are also clear and concise. My concern is that if this is an introductory textbook, some of the activities (discussion questions specifically could be too difficult for a beginner learner.

The order that chapters follow are consistent and each chapter follows the same pattern

The textbook does a good job in keeping activities separated from one another. Activities can easily be assigned at different points.

The topics follow a logical pattern and are appropriate topics for conversations.

Interface rating: 3

Yes. However, it is cumbersome to have to type in the long urls for the multiple sites for listening activities. Consider shorting urls (unless students have access to an electronic version that can take them directly to the websites)

because this textbook is for English learners, it could include more grammar review.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

I did not find much cultural information in the textbook. There are a few activities that incorporate culture but the textbook could use more. Also, I wonder why use an image of Copenhagen on page 51. Why not include an image of an English speaking country?

Here's a list of specific suggestions: -The vocabulary list at the beginning of the book, put it at the end of each chapter. -The vocabulary words are not high frequency words for daily conversations. Include more basic (real life) vocabulary words. -The activities to practice vocabulary words are only fill-in-the-blanks with no real-world use. Add activities where students have to use the vocabulary words in a real-world context and must create with the language. -The activity on page 10 is good but it doesn't require any use of the chapter's vocabulary. -In order to be successful with the activity on page12, there needs to be a vocabulary list. An introductory book should assume the students have not mastered a lot of vocabulary. The same goes for pg 26. The travel chapter has no travel vocabulary.

-The activity on pg 41 has the potential to be better. As is, it seems scripted, consider asking students to create follow up questions. Do you like green tea? If the answer is Yes, then the follow up question can be, what type? where do you buy it? or practice the past tense: when did you drink it last? etc. Overall, the book is a great idea but it needs to be adjusted to the level of true beginner. As is, some of the discussion questions seem to advanced for a beginner student. If the book is not intended for beginners, then the title should be changed to intermediate.

Reviewed by Kristin Broshears, ESOL Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/19/18

This question isn’t completely applicable since the text is for ESOL, and a wide variety of topics could be covered. However, I thought it did a good job of covering all of the elements necessary in a communication textbook. It had vocabulary,... read more

I didn’t notice any errors in the text.

I believe the topics and exercises are currently relevant and will continue to be for a long time. Only a few details (such as home prices) could change, but exercises involving that type of information could easily be updated.

For the most part, the text uses simple and clear language. The author made an effort to use high frequency words. Based on the language and topics, this book seems to be intended for a group of students in a more academic setting, and I think it would very well for that group.

The book has a fairly consistent structure from one chapter to the next. This predictably makes it easier for students at a low intermediate level.

What’s great about this text is that each chapter is self-contained, and the chapters can be used in any order. I think this book could work well as a supplement if an instructor wants to use parts of it. For this course to be a stand alone text for an entire term, the instructor would need to create or find additional exercises, particularly homework.

The book is logical and flows well. The author did a good job choosing vocabulary and grammar points to go with each chapter’s theme. This provides students with the tools they need to understand listening exercises and talk about each topic.

The text does a good job presenting just the right amount of information per “page” in an attractive way.

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

The text includes topics that can be relevant to any culture in an open-ended way that allows students to share different perspectives. The only thing I would consider is that low income students may struggle to talk about some of the topics, such as vacations, choosing a university or buying a home. However, the other did a good job of making it clear that these are hypothetical situations. Also, as I said before, the book seems to be meant for a university audience, and the topics would be more relevant to that group.

My final comment is about the listening exercises. The primary (female) speaker was both clear and natural, which is refreshing since the speakers are often artificially slow in ESOL texts. However, I would consider changing the male speaker. I think most students would prefer to hear native speakers of American English in the recording, or at least someone able to speak with an American accent. The male speaker in the recordings has a little too much of an accent, which can be distracting. When I played one of those recordings for my students, they complained about that. On the other hand, I think the listening exercises were very well-written. They used appropriate vocabulary and the topics were relevant.

Reviewed by Julie Hastings, Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/19/18

The content of Communication Beginnings covers much of what is expected in a beginning intermediate communication course. There are a few places I feel it could be expanded to make it more comprehensive. For instance, in Chapter 2 the third person singular -s ending is introduced but the chapter does not include the three ways that the -s ending is pronounced. This would be an easy addition given the inclusion of the three ways to pronounce the -ed ending of regular past tense verbs that appears in Chapter 5. I would also expect a course at this level to introduce the prevalence of the schwa sound in unstressed syllables.

The textbook as a whole is fairly accurate, but there are several errors that I noticed. Some errors are easily corrected and I plan to share my more detailed copy-edit with the author who will hopefully make the changes. For example, the listening activity on p. 45 is titled “Foods in the United States,” but two of the examples are from Canada. Also, one of the questions connected to this listening activity asks “Which food is fantastic in Montreal, Canada?” but the food is described as “fabulous” not "fantastic" in the recording. It is the lobster in Maine that is described as “fantastic.”

In addition, sometimes grammar rules are not explained accurately. On page 28, it says that WH questions follow the same grammar rules as Yes/No questions without including the variation of when “who” is used as the subject and no "do" or "does" is used.

Other problems are more subjective and would require a more extensive overhaul of the audio components associated with the textbook. In my view, it is misleading to suggest that reduced speech and contractions are not used in formal and professional contexts (p. 46). I believe an intermediate communications textbook should emphasize the importance of reductions in almost all American speech. In many of the audio recordings connected to the text, words are over-enunciated and students are not given the opportunity to hear the word as it sounds in natural speech. The third syllable of the word “environment,” for example, is pronounced /r?n/ rather than the more common /y?rn/.

I found no bias in the textbook beyond the presumption of a particular and limited audience which I discuss in the next section of this review.

The text is written for a specific audience: unmarried, international students living in the United States and studying in a university setting. For example, the exercise on page 9 asks students to find a classmate who “likes the environment of a university.” At the same time, it would not be difficult to adapt the text to suit populations like the ones I teach: primarily immigrants and refugees most of whom have jobs and families and who are studying in a community college.

There are also several specific references to Portland in the text. For example, in the speaking activity on page 41, students ask each other, “Do you know a lot of restaurants in Portland?” Replacing “Portland” with “town” would easily expand the relevance of the text.

For the most part, I found Communication Beginnings to be clearly written. A careful revision of the text, however, should include replacing undefined words that might not be familiar to students with the target vocabulary words (eg. “hobbies” for “interests” and “imports” for “international”).

The overall format of Communication Beginnings is consistent. Each chapter begins with a well-chosen photo and/or quote and discussion questions to introduce the theme of the chapter. Next, ten vocabulary words are presented and students are asked to match them with their definitions and identify the number of syllables in each. This is followed by a cloze activity using the target vocabulary. Each chapter also includes a speaking instruction, grammar rules, and multiple opportunities for practice such as a survey of native English speakers.

Within the chapters there is some inconsistency with terminology. In Chapter 4, there is a presentation that introduces how to describe how food tastes and feels but gives examples of how food looks and smells and summarizes the presentation with the three categories: looks, smells, and feels.

Communication Beginnings has seven discrete chapters which can be easily reorganized or used separately. The activities within each chapter can also be parsed differently according to the needs of the instructor.

I appreciate the organization and structure of Communication Beginnings. As mentioned above, each chapter has a consistent structure beginning with target vocabulary words and including a variety of speaking and listening activities.

The images in Communication Beginnings are very clear on-line and in the print version. They are particularly nice in color but also of good quality printed in black and white.

There are minor interface issues. One issue is that in the audio downloads, the same recording is used for “Intonation Examples” and “Listening for Intonation.” Links from within the text do not share this problem.

I address grammatical issues as a matter of accuracy above.

I applaud the inclusion of a non-native speaker in the audio recordings. The examples show diversity and do not reproduce gender, racial, or ethnic stereotypes.

Reviewed by Amy White, Assistant Librarian and Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University on 2/1/18

This textbook covers a broad range of easily-accessible speaking and listening topics, which is very appropriate for a beginning listening and speaking class. The vocabulary included in each section is fairly light, only 10 words, but I like that the words come from the New General Service List, meaning that the words are all frequently used in the English language. The grammar points are also useful but also somewhat light. I would probably add something on present progressive tense since this is often taught at the introductory level of listening/speaking courses.

I also appreciate that this textbook has a clear table of contents and introduction along with direct links to listening exercises. However, the link to activity one in chapter one took me to a vocabulary listing rather than the intended listening activity and one of the other listening links, from chapter 7 I believe, did not work.

The content seems highly accurate and unbiased. It is clearly written and no errors stood out.

The material in this textbook is generally timeless. The vocabulary and grammar are very standard and should not change appreciably over time. Likewise, the speaking and listening topics are general enough, topics like "learning a language" and "hobbies" so these should still be relevant areas of discussion even 20 years from now.

The written text is very clear. A few (but not all) of the listening passages are a little fast for students at this level, so it could be worth re-recording some of these when the book is updated.

In terms of consistency, the book chapters each follow the same pattern, with similar structure and exercises. I also appreciated the consistency of material at the end of the book: the listening scripts and answer keys.

Each of the chapters could stand alone as a singular module, so this makes the book easy to use for supplemental course material.

Very clear organization.

Overall, the interface is easy to navigate. There are a few problems with the listening activities linking correctly, but that could be easily fixed.

The book uses very general topics for listening and speaking, so I did not see any that would be deemed offensive. The listening exercises often include individuals with names from other countries, so I think students will enjoy seeing names from their own parts of the world.

Considering there are very few open ESL textbooks, I really appreciate the author taking the time to create and make this one available. It is clear, consistent, and easy to use. I would probably use it as a supplemental textbook rather than a primary one because I have always taught in very intensive programs (many hours per day of instruction), so as a stand-alone book it would not have enough content for my needs. However, this could be a great stand-alone book for a class that is less intensive such as a free class in the community that meets just once or twice a week.

Reviewed by Natallia Cherashneva, Russian/ESL Instructor, University of Delaware on 2/1/18

The textbook is intended for beginning-intermediate English language learners and is a good introductory resource for speaking activities. It is organized around topics that people encounter in everyday life, such as food, hobby. Each of the 7 chapters starts with a picture and discussion questions, dialogues, speaking and grammar tips and a vocabulary list that is relevant to the topic with all the exercises to practice the vocabulary. In the end of the book, there is a script of listening activities and answer key.

In terms of language material, questions and overall input, the book aims at low-intermediate language students, not beginners. The grammar part, though introduces very basic aspects, such as “s” for 3rd person singular in Present tense or the verb “to be”, which beginners would benefit from, but then vocabulary words are too advanced for them.

In addition, I believe that seven chapters are too little for the textbook; therefore it should be used in combination with other materials.

At this point I haven't encountered any mistakes, and it's unbiased. However, I had some concerns regarding grammar usage. In chapter 3 it is stated that the verb “to be” is used with nouns and adjectives, but it can also be used with adverbs. Also who-questions are different from other wh-questions, and this wasn’t mentioned. In chapter 5, the grammar dwells on past tense and only in regards to regular verbs. I haven’t found information on irregular verbs in the book.

The content of the book covers fairly universal and basic topics, and they are unlikely to become outdated. The vocabulary words (10 for each chapter) that the book centers around are also very useful. There is no reference to a specific university or a specific group of learners (Asian, European, etc.) and that is a great benefit.

The textbook follows the same patterns and it’s easy to follow. It has charts, maps, and some graphic organizers. In terms of grammar, the focus is on short, concise explanations and clear models. I would suggest using more colors or table structures to bring readers’ attention to certain forms, because some learners can be very visual.

The book showed overall consistency in regards to terminology and framework. I thought chapter 1 and 7 were smaller than others and could have more input/output material

This textbook is thematically divided into distinct sections that allow learners to find the information easy, and each chapter has the same flow: it starts and finishes in the same way. Almost each chapter has listening or grammar tip.

I could follow the text for the most part, and I understood the logical flow of activity chains that scaffold speaking in the end of each chapter. In the chapter there are external links to presentations and listening activities, and it’s very easy to identify them. In terms of vocabulary, I would prefer to see more visuals. For example, in chapter 4 when describing food, the author mentions what food can be like (e.g. sweet, citrusy etc.). I would suggest grouping the food under certain adjectives and back it up with visuals. Some other chapter on hobby or jobs lacked visuals.

The interface of the textbook is clear and easy to follow. The image of the table on page 59 looks a bit off. I also think that surveys that are assigned as homework and usually look like 5 separate charts can be put as one to save space and be on the same page.

The text contains no grammatical errors as far as I can tell.

This textbook accurately displays the variety of situations that are relevant to language learners and they are not tied around university life since some learners are already out of school and have no intention to go back. Various nationalities participated in listening activities and examples provided in the book.

Overall it is a good listening/speaking resource. There are a lot of interesting listening activities and presentations that come with this textbook. Also there are good listening and speaking tips on intonation, contractions. I enjoyed the presentation on cardinal/ordinal numbers as well.

I do believe that if it is designed for beginners, the vocabulary and sentence structures should be simplified. If it's for low-intermediate students, then grammar tips should be more advanced.

Reviewed by Riccarda Saggese, Associate Professor, University of Delaware on 2/1/18

The test covers all areas of the subjects according to the author's presentation. The guidelines are clear. Each chapter presents a vocabulary list (from New General Service List) and all lessons are presented around them. At the end of each... read more

In general the content is accurate.

Only a doubt: on Chapter 4, page 38 n. 6 and n. 10 require the same answers?

The text refers to every day life, so it will not be outdated for a while. Furthermore, it will be easy to update and implement it since it has been posted on line.

The author conveys information with great clarity.

The test is very consistent in terms of terminology and framework. I also like the "Speaking fluency practice" and the "Extra listening Practice"part.

The text is divided in six different modules, each one with different goals, but all six can be reorganized and presented in a different order.

The topics are presented in a logical and coherent way that attracts the learners.

The text is free of significant interface issues that can confuse the readers.

There is not a lot grammar, only the essential.I think this is good for the level of the students to which the book is presented.

The text is very inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Great respect for everyone.

I like the book. It is clear and adequate to the students at their second approach to the English language. I think that overall it will be useful to many foreign people, including those who are self learning.

Reviewed by Laura Wilkinson, Instructor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 2/1/18

The text covers a variety of speaking and listening contexts teaching basic communication skills necessary for an English Language Learner in an academic or social setting. read more

The text covers a variety of speaking and listening contexts teaching basic communication skills necessary for an English Language Learner in an academic or social setting.

The content is accurate, and useful for a variety of cultural contexts and language learning levels.

The contents provide topics serving a wide audience. May be used in an academic or non-academic environment. Topics included are timeless and can easily be modified or updated easily and effectively due to its overall organization.

The text is written for any English language learner to use, is easily accessible to all levels and used simple language for quick comprehension.

The framework and terminology of the text is consistent throughout each chapter, making it an easily accessible textbook for study or reference use.

The text is divided into seven chapters which can be assigned in order of need. There is no reason to follow content chapter by chapter. Short activities and exercises throughout make the content extremely accessible and user-friendly. Perfect for self or class study.

Topics are presented chapter by chapter and can be used in any order. The content flow from beginning to end makes the text rather easy to use in a classroom setting. It allows the user to only focus on areas of specific need if so desired.

Overall the text is free of any interface issues. There are some formatting problems that might initially confuse a language learner, but can be simply reformatted to correct the issues.

The text is free of grammatical errors--an extremely important component of a book for language learners.

The text provides universal contexts that may be adapted to the cultural backgrounds/needs of its learners. Very accessible topics that are useful to all cultural contexts. No inclusiveness has been found to exist within the text's content.

This text provides a very simple and easy way for language learners to practice speaking and listening skillls for basic interpersonal communication. The topics are current and relevant to language learners, providing them with authentic contexts for daily use. The use of specific vocabulary in context for each chapter gives the reader excellent word choice options for practice. I highly recommend piloting this text for a lower level English language learning class.

Chapter 1- Learning how to speak and listen in English:

Tips and strategies for increasing and retaining learning
Advice on learning English in a university setting

Chapter 2- Introductions

Describing yourself and other people

Chapter 3- Talking about travel and experiences: Page 25-36

Intonation in English

Chapter 4- Discussing food and eating: Page 37-50

Understanding Conversational English with reduced speech

Chapter 5- Describing places around town: Page 51-64

Addresses and place descriptions

Chapter 6- Communicating about hobbies and routines: Page 65-73

Agreeing and Disagreeing in English

Chapter 7- Discussing jobs and university majors: Page 74-85

Word and syllable stress in English

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This textbook is designed for beginning-intermediate English language learners. It is composed of 7 chapters, each of which covers specific speaking and listening learning objectives and includes dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each chapter includes listening and speaking components such as dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each chapter also focuses on 10 target words from the New General Service List of English vocabulary. The textbook includes an audio component that consists of recorded conversations of native and non-native English speakers, as well as links to additional listening resources on the web.

About the Contributors

Della Jean Abrahams is an Instructor in Intensive English Language Program at the Portland State University.

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Sample Assignments

The following list suggests some possible speaking activities and is not meant to limit anyone’s creativity. Other kinds of speaking tasks are certainly possible.

Presentational Speaking

These assignments give students an opportunity to speak to an audience, and they can be done on an individual basis or students could work together as a presenting group. Some formats include:

Oral reports of research or student papers debates
Presentation of course content areas Interviews
Presentation analyzing a problem Oral exam
Role-playing as part of a simulation

Presentational speaking assignments encourage students to understand course material well enough to communicate it to others. Typically, these assignments emphasize factors such as:

research, analysis, evaluation of data
adaptation of materials to meet the demands of the occasion and audience
determination of a suitable purpose and focus for a presentation
development of a suitable and clear organizational pattern
development of arguments to support the speaker’s purpose
delivery skills suitable to the presentation’s objectives
listening to and critical evaluation of oral messages

Learning Groups and Class Discussion

Learning group activities give students specific oral tasks, such as analyzing a problem or examining textual material. The assignment is designed so that collaboration by group members is essential to make progress on the task. A speaking-intensive approach to learning groups and class discussion involves more than merely having discussions and using groups in class. To make the class speaking-intensive, instructors must spend time with students talking about the discussion process and the characteristics of good discussions. Instructors also provide opportunities for the class to assess its discussions and for students to examine their own communication behavior as part of the discussion group.

Learning group and class discussion formats include:

Laboratory groups Student led discussions (whole class)
Peer reviews Instructor led discussions (whole class)
Study groups Transcript analysis of group “talk”

Learning group and class discussion assignments emphasize factors such as:

development of discussion skills that facilitate group progress
an understanding of and skill in dealing with group conflict
increased student responsibility for learning in the class
an awareness of how questioning technique helps or hinders group talk

Task Group Projects

In these assignments, students work together for longer periods of time and may be expected to produce a final report of some sort. Often, task groups have to meet together outside of regular class times in order to work on their assigned projects.

Formats include:

Problem solving projects Analysis of case studies
Laboratory groups Research teams
“Task force” groups, assigned a long- or short-term product goal

Once again, simply assigning student group projects does not make one’s use of these activities speaking-intensive. Instructors must spend time with students talking about the group process and helping students learn how to understand group communication dynamics. Instructors also include opportunities for groups to assess their progress and for students to examine their own communication behavior as part of the group.

Task group assignments emphasize:

development of communication skills that facilitate group progress
awareness of and skill in dealing with group conflict
an understanding of the advantages and limitations of group work

Interpersonal Communication

These assignments involve projects in which two students communicate together for the purpose of achieving some common goal. Typical formats include: Role-playing cases (e.g., managerial issues, clinical interviews, conflict resolution)

One-on-one teaching/tutoring Interviews Interpersonal communication assignments help students:

gain and improve interpersonal communication skills
acquire an awareness of and skill in dealing with interpersonal conflicts
develop listening skills
Speaking Intensive Program
SI Course Expectations
Archive of the 2015 NACC Conference at UMW
Body Language
Formats for Group Presentations
Handling Speech Anxiety
Leading Discussion Groups
Moderating a Group Presentation
Outline Checklist
People Ask Me to Repeat Myself
Planning a Group Presentation
Preparing Speaking Notes
Preparing Supporting Materials
Settings for Group Presentations
Speech Organization
Toulmin Argument Model
Transitions
Using a Script
Using PowerPoint
Available Articles
Class Discussion
Communication
Evaluation Sheets
Learning Groups
Public Speaking
Task Groups
Speaking Center Video
Your First In-Class Presentation
Accommodations and Oral Communication Assignments
New Course Proposals
Speaking Intensive Committee
Speaking Intensive Committee – Minutes and Reports
Speaking Intensive Course List – courses approved by the SI committee
Using Video for Student Presentations
Speaking and Writing Center

49 Communication Activities, Exercises & Games

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 Communication Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others.

This Article Contains:

What are communication activities, exercises, and games, the role of communication in a relationship, how can we develop better communication skills, 18 communication games and activities for adults, 17 exercises to help improve communication in a relationship, the importance of communication in the family unit, 14 family therapy activities for communication, a take-home message.

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 you’re 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 what’s the deal with these activities, exercises, and therapy games ? Are they really that important or impactful? Do we really need to work on communicating when it seems like we’re pretty good at it already?

Check out this quote from Stephen R. Covey and take a minute to think about how vital communication really is.

The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relations techniques rather than from our own inner core, others will sense that duplicity. We simply won’t be able to create and sustain the foundation necessary for effective interdependence.

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 Australia’s 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:

When people say, ‘We have a great relationship,’ what they often mean is how they feel when they talk with one another. They mean, ‘I feel positive toward that person when we interact. I send and I receive positive vibes with them.’

Besides making our relationships easier, there are also relationship-boosting benefits to good communication:

Effective communication shows respect and value of the other person.
It helps us to better understand each other; not all communication is about understanding—some are intended to fight, dismiss, invalidate, undermine, etc.—but it should be!
It makes us feel more comfortable with each other and encourages even more healthy and effective communication (Abass, n.d.).

communication assignments for students pdf

Download 3 Communication Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to improve communication skills and enjoy more positive social interactions with others.

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Fortunately, all it takes to develop better communication skills is a commitment to do so and a little bit of effort.

These tips from Australia’s 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):

Set aside time to talk without interruption from other people or distractions like phones, computers or television.
Think about what you want to say.
Be clear about what you want to communicate.
Make your message clear, so that your partner hears it accurately and understands what you mean.
Talk about what is happening and how it affects you.
Talk about what you want, need and feel – use ‘I’ statements such as ‘I need’, ‘I want’ and ‘I feel’.
Accept responsibility for your own feelings.
Listen to your partner. Put aside your own thoughts for the time being and try to understand their intentions, feelings, needs and wants (this is called empathy ).
Share positive feelings with your partner, such as what you appreciate and admire about them, and how important they are to you.
Be aware of your tone of voice.
Negotiate and remember that you don’t have to be right all the time. If the issue you are having is not that important, sometimes let the issue go, or agree to disagree (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

If you’re experiencing high levels of conflict in your relationship(s), the Better Health Channel has some specific recommendations for you:

Avoid using the silent treatment.
Don’t jump to conclusions. Find out all the facts rather than guessing at motives.
Discuss what actually happened. Don’t judge.
Learn to understand each other, not to defeat each other.
Talk using the future and present tense, not the past tense.
Concentrate on the major problem, and don’t get distracted by other minor problems.
Talk about the problems that hurt your or your partner’s feelings, then move on to problems about differences in opinions.
Use ‘I feel’ statements, not ‘You are’ statements (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

8 Tips on How to Teach Communication Skills

This useful framework comes from Alice Stott at Edutopia (2018):

Physical: How a speaker uses their body language, facial expressions, and voice.
Linguistic: The speaker’s use of language, including their understanding of formality and rhetorical devices.
Cognitive: The content of what a speaker says and their ability to build on, challenge, question, and summarize others’ ideas.
Social and emotional : How well a speaker listens, includes others, and responds to their audience (Stott, 2018).

Once you have a good framework for understanding communication, try these 8 ways to foster effective communication in your children or students:

Teach your kids empathy so they can get a sense of what the other person is thinking and feeling.
Teach your kids conversation skills with techniques like puppets and video modeling, which they can then apply in exercises and activities.
Establish listening and speaking procedures in the classroom or at home (e.g., Dr. Allen Mendler’s SLANT strategy : Sit up straight, Listen, Answer and ask questions, Nod to show interest, Track the speaker; Mendler, 2013).
Teach respectful vocabulary and remind students that being “cold” (passive) or “hot” (angry) will probably result in less understanding and more conflict.
Teach the power of pausing (e.g., encourage them to pause, think, and ask questions like “What do you mean by that?” and “Why?”).
Have your kids practice speaking and listening in natural settings (e.g., outside of the home and classroom).
Encourage introspection in your children; it will help them understand themselves better as well as those around them.
Practice taking turns with a talking stick or a ball, teaching your children that they can speak when they have the object but they are expected to listen when others are talking (Stanfield, 2017).

One of the most effective ways to avoid unnecessary disputes is to practice non-violent communication (NVC). According to Rosenberg (1999), non-violent communication methods can serve us in three ways:

It can increase your ability to live with choice, meaning, and connection
It helps connect empathically with yourself and others to have more satisfying relationships
It shares resources so everyone is able to benefit

In an effort to exemplify the various forms that communication can take, we want to share some key differences between passive, assertive, and aggressive communication styles.

Specifically, a passive communicator prioritizes the needs of others, even at their own expense. This often leads to being taken advantage of and having their own needs disregarded by others as well.
An assertive communicator mirrors the values of NVC, which is what we should aim for. This communication style emphasizes the importance of all parties’ needs and is defined by confidence and the willingness to compromise
Aggressive communication, also referred to as violent communication, disregards any other parties involved and consists of constant disrespect, interrupting, and domination.

Now that you are familiar with these types of communication styles, it’s time to analyze how you convey your thoughts to others (and if there is any room for improvement).

If you’re looking for some concrete ways to build communication skills in adults, you’ve 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 Adults

To get started improving your (or your team’s, or your student’s) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try.

1. Card Pieces

This 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.

Here’s how the activity works:

Cut each playing card into half diagonally, then in half diagonally again, so you have four triangular pieces for each card.
Mix all the pieces together and put equal numbers of cards into as many envelopes as you have teams.
Divide people up into teams of three or four. You need at least three teams. If you’re short of people, teams of two will work just as well.
Give each team an envelope of playing card pieces.
Each team has three minutes to sort its pieces, determine which ones it needs to make complete cards, and develop a bargaining strategy.
After three minutes, allow the teams to start bartering for pieces. People can barter on their own or collectively with their team. Give the teams eight minutes to barter.
When the time is up, count each team’s completed cards. Whichever team has the most cards wins the round.

Afterward, you can use these questions to guide discussion on the exercise:

Which negotiation strategies worked? Which didn’t?
What could they have done better?
What other skills, such as active listening or empathy, did they need to use?

2. Listen and Draw

This 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:

Draw a square, measuring 5 inches on each side.
Draw a circle within the square, such that it fits exactly in the middle of the square.
Intersect 2 lines through the circle, dividing the circle into 4 equal parts.

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 Origami

This 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.

Here’s how it works:

Give one sheet of standard-sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches) to each participant.
Tell your participants that you will be giving them step-by-step instructions on how to fold their piece of paper into an origami shape.
Inform your participants that they must keep their eyes and mouths closed as they follow instructions; they are not allowed to look at the paper or ask any clarifying questions.
Give the group your instructions on how to fold the paper into the origami shape of your choice.
Once the instructions have all been given, have everyone open their eyes and compare their shape with the intended shape.

You will likely find that each shape is a little bit different! To hit the point home, refer to these discussion points and questions:

Make the point that each paper looks different even though you have given the same instructions to everybody. What does this mean?
Ask the group if you think the results would have been better if they kept their eyes open or were allowed to ask questions.
Communicating clearly is not easy, we all interpret the information we get differently that’s why it’s very important to ask questions and confirm understanding to ensure the communicated message is not distorted.

4. Guess the Emotion

Another 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:

Divide the group into two teams.
Place on a table (or put in a box) a packet of cards, each of which has a particular emotion typed on it
Have a participant from Group A take the top card from the table and act out (pantomime) the emotion for his/her group. This is to be done in a fixed time limit (such as a minute or two).
If the emotion is guessed correctly by Group A, they receive ten points.
Now have a participant from Group B act out an emotion; award points as appropriate.
Rotate the acting opportunities between the two groups.
After 20 to 30 minutes of acting and guessing, call time and announce the winning team based on its point total.

If you have a particularly competitive group, consider giving a prize to the winning team!

5. The Guessing Game

Finally, another fun and engaging game that can boost communication skills: “ The Guessing Game. ” You will probably recognize this game, as it’s 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 they’re in competition with the other team. If there’s 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:

Tell the group that obviously it took a long time and effort for us to find out the object in each round, but what if we didn’t have time and only had one question to ask to find out the object, what would that question be?
The question would be “What is the object?” which is an open-ended question.
Open-ended questions are an excellent way to save time and energy and help you get to the information you need fast, however, closed questions can also be very useful in some instances to confirm your understanding or to help you control the conversation with an overly talkative person/customer.

5 Listening Activities for Adults

If you’re intent on improving listening skills, in particular, you have lots of options; give these 5 activities a try.

1. Telephone Exercise

This classic exercise from Becky Norman (2018) at Sift’s Training Zone illustrates why listening is such an important skill, and why we shouldn’t 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 Exercise

This exercise , also from Becky Norman’s piece (2018), will show participants the emotional consequences of not listening and—hopefully—encourage 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 you’re sure each speaker has picked up on what’s 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 Activity

The “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 talker’s job is to describe what he or she wants from a vacation without specifying a destination. The listener’s 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 Activity

This great activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is called the “Memory Test” activity.

Tell participants that you are going to read them a list of words to test their memory.
Instruct them to listen carefully, as they cannot write down any of the words. Tell them you will test them later to see how many of the words they can remember.
When you finish reading the list of words, distract your participants by talking about something else for at least one full minute.
Once you have finished talking, have each participant write down as many words as they can remember from the list.

You (and your participants) will find that it’s 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 it’s an important conversation.

5. Just Listen Activity

This 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 person’s 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 don’t 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:

Have the team members sit down in their pairs.
Give each pair eight of the index cards.
Instruct one partner to choose a random card and then speak for three minutes on how he or she feels about the topic.
Instruct the other partner to stay quiet while the first partner talks, just listening instead of speaking.
After the three minutes is up, the listener has one minute to recap what the speaker said (not agree, disagree, or debate, just recap).
Have each pair switch roles and repeat the exercise so both partners get a chance to speak and to listen.

After each participant has played both roles, end the activity and guide a discussion with the following questions:

How did speakers feel about their partners’ ability to listen with an open mind? Did their partners’ body language communicate how they felt about what was being said?
How did listeners feel about not being able to speak about their own views on the topic? How well were they able to keep an open mind? How well did they listen?
How well did the listening partners summarize the speakers’ opinions? Did they get better as the exercise progressed?
How can they use the lessons from this exercise at work?

You will find this activity at this link , exercise #4.

6 Nonverbal Communication Activities for Adults

Nonverbal 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 Language

This activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com will help your participants work on their body language skills.

Tell the participants that you are going to give them a series of instructions and you want them to follow them as fast as they can.
Put your hand to your nose.
Clap your hands.
Touch your shoulder.
Stamp your foot.
Cross your arms.
Put your hand to your mouth (but while saying this one, put your hand to your nose).
Observe how many participants copied what you did instead of what you said.

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. It’s vital to keep your own body language in mind, just as it’s vital to notice and understand others’ body language.

2. Clap and Follow

The “Clap and Follow” activity is a great way to practice using your body in conjunction with verbal communication.

It works like this:

Tell your group that this is a game that requires their full concentration.
When they hear one clap from the leader (you), tell them this means they should stand up.
When they hear two claps from the leader, they should hop once in place.
When they hear three claps, they should rub their belly.
When they hear four claps, they should do a 360-degree turn on the spot.
When they hear five claps, they should pat their head.
Begin the activity! Start with one clap, then two claps, and so on until you have given the group each instruction once.
Now, mix it up! Switch between the five different instructions and begin to pick up the pace. This is when the eliminations begin.
Each time a participant engages in the wrong activity, eliminate them from the game. Continue until there is one clear winner.

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 Acting

This 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:

Separate your group into pairs.
Assign one participant in each pair to be Partner A and the other to be Partner B.
Give each participant a copy of the script (copied below).
Instruct Participant A to read his or her lines out loud, but instruct Participant B to communicate his or her lines in a nonverbal way.
Provide Participant B with a secret emotional distraction written on a piece of paper (e.g., Participant B is in a rush, is really bored, or is feeling guilty).
Have each pair work through the script.
After each pair has finished working through the script, have the “A” participants guess what emotion their partner was feeling.

This is the script you will give each participant:

A: Have you seen my book? I can’t remember where I put it. B: Which one? A: The murder mystery. The one you borrowed. B: Is this it? A: No. It’s the one you borrowed. B: I did not! A: Maybe it’s under the chair. Can you look? B: Okay—just give me a minute. A: How long are you going to be? B: Geez, why so impatient? I hate when you get bossy. A: Forget it. I’ll find it myself. B: Wait—I found 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 we’re 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:

Cut several strips of paper.
On each strip of paper, write down a mood, feeling, or disposition, like guilty, happy, suspicious, paranoid, insulted, or insecure.
Fold the strips of paper so you can’t see what is written on it and place them in a bowl or jar. These are your prompts.
Have each participant take a prompt from the bowl or jar and read the exact same sentence to the class, but with the emotion the prompt specifies.
The sentence everybody will read is: “We all need to gather our possessions and move to another building as soon as possible.”
Have the participants guess the emotion of each reader by writing down what they think the speaker is feeling (or what they are supposed to be feeling).

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 Deck

All you’ll need for this exercise is a deck of playing cards, a blindfold for each participant, and some space to move around.

Here’s how “Stack the Deck” works:

Shuffle the deck of cards and hand one out to each participant.
Instruct the participants to keep their cards a secret; no one should see the suit or color of another participant’s card.
Tell the participants that they will not be allowed to talk at all during this exercise.
Instruct your participants to assemble into four groups according to their suit (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades), but using only nonverbal communication.
If you have the time and your participants have the inclination, try blindfolding each participant and giving the same instructions—it makes it much more difficult and more time-consuming!
Once participants have all gathered into one of the four groups, have them line up according to their rank (Ace is the lowest, King is the highest); again, they cannot speak or show their cards to anyone during this part of the exercise.
The group that lines up in the right order first wins!

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 another’s nonverbal cues.

You can find this exercise at this link (Activity #3).

6. Silent Movie

Finally, 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:

Silent movies tell a story without words. It’s important to start the scene with the actor doing an obvious task, like cleaning the house or rowing a boat.
The scene must be interrupted when a second actor (or several actors) enter the scene, and their arrival should have a big impact. The character(s) could be anyone (or anything), including burglars, salesmen, children, or even animals.
A physical commotion must occur.
The problem that is caused by the commotion must be resolved by the end of the scene.

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.

The communication game – Asgar Hussain

2 Communication Group Activities

Other great activities for group communication include the “Square Talk” and “Follow All Instructions” activities.

1. Square Talk Activity

For 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:

Divide your group of participants into groups of about 5 each.
Clear the room so you have as much space as possible.
Blindfold each participant and tell them their objective: to make a square from a rope (i.e., stand in the shape of a square with their team).
Disorientate each participant by moving them a bit, spinning them around, etc.
All team members are blindfolded and must remain so for the duration of the activity.
The rope you are holding is approximately ___ feet in length.
The role you are holding is knotted together to form a circle; it must not be undone.
You must not let go of the rope.
You will be told when you have 5 minutes remaining.
Allow the teams to work on the activity and inform them when they have 5 minutes left.

Once the teams have given this activity their best shot, use these 5 discussion questions to review the importance of good group communication:

Do you feel as a group you communicated effectively?
During the Activity, what communication skills did you use effectively?
During the activity, what communication skills could you have used to improve performance?
How important is communication in the workplace? Why?
What key points have you learned about communication from this activity, that you wish to apply in the workplace?

2. Follow All Instructions Activity

This activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is a great one for young people, but it can be used with participants of all ages. All you’ll need is a set of instructions for each participant.

Write all of your teams initials at the top right-hand corner of this sheet.
Write your first name on your sheet of paper.
Write the total of 3 + 16 + 32 + 64 here: __________________
Underline instruction 1 above.
Check the time by your watch with that of one of your neighbor’s.
Write down the difference in time between the two watches at the foot of this page.
Draw three circles in the left-hand margin.
Put a tick in each of the circles mentioned in 6.
Sign your signature at the foot of the page.
On the back of the page, divide 50 by 12.5.
When you get to this point in the test, stand up, then sit down and continue with the next item.
If you have carefully followed all these instructions, call out ‘I have’.
On the reverse of this page, draw quickly what you think an upright bicycle looks like from overhead.
Check your answer to Item 9, multiply it by 5 and write the result in the left-hand margin opposite this item.
Write the 5th, 10th, 9th and 20th letters of the alphabet here: ___________________
Punch three holes with your pen here: o o o
If you think you are the first person to get this far, call out ‘I’m in the lead’.
Underline all the even digits on the left-hand side of the page.
Draw triangles around the holes you punched in Item 15.
Now you’ve finished reading all the instructions, obey only 1, 2, 20 & 21.
Stand up and say, “We’re the greatest team in the World!”

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 not—but 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 instruction—to read everything before acting.

7 Communication Games for Couples

Defeating Divorce shares the following three games aimed at improving communication in a romantic relationship.

This game is goal-directed, meaning the couple is working towards a common goal, and that goal requires effective communication.

The couple sits back to back with an identical set of building blocks in front of each of them.
One partner uses their blocks to create some sort of building or structure.
The builder partner then relays a series of instructions to the other partner to help him or her build the exact same structure.
The listener partner must try to build the same structure based on the speaker partner’s instructions.

This game takes some serious teamwork and good communication, and it can be repeated as needed to help a couple build their skills.

2. Minefield

“Minefield” 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 couple’s communication strengths.

3. Give Me a Hand

This 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 catch—each 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!

4. Twenty Questions Times Two

If you remember the game “Twenty Questions”, you’ll recognize this game. It can be used to help couples communicate, share important details, and strengthen their connection.

Here’s how:

The couple should schedule some time alone, without distractions.
Before playing the game, each partner should come up with a list of 20 detailed personal questions to ask the other partner. The couple should feel free to get creative here!
Both partners take turns asking each other one question at a time.
When they’ve finished asking each other their questions, they should reverse them! Instead of asking questions like, “What is your favorite color?” each partner will ask, “What is my favorite color?”

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-Eye

This game is a good way for couples to work on communicating and improving their connection, and all you need is your eyes!

Here’s how to do it:

The couple sits facing each other, close enough to hold hands.
Each partner looks directly into the other partner’s eyes.
Each partner should take a minute to notice the feelings they are experiencing at this point.
One partner begins talking about something simple and easy to discuss, like what happened that day, what they had for lunch, or something they are grateful for.
The other partner reciprocates with a similar conversation, all while holding eye contact.
The couple continues sharing things one at a time until each partner has shared at least three or four times.
The couple discusses what the experience was like.

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 Three

Similar to the “three good things” exercise, this game’s aim is to boost a couple’s 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 doesn’t take long—just a few minutes will do.

To play “The Top Three”, couples should follow these instructions:

At the end of each day, take some time to reflect on your day. Think about what your partner has done for you today.
Take turns sharing those three things with your partner and tell them what each thing meant to you.
Don’t forget to say “thank you” or otherwise verbally express your gratitude to your partner!

This game gets couples to practice vocalizing their appreciation and expressing gratitude, two things that are not necessarily in everyone’s daily communications but can have a big impact on a relationship.

7. Make a Playdate

Playdates are not just for kids or puppies—they 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:

It has to be something for just the couple to do and they cannot include the kids or discuss mundane things like chores or bills.
It has to be something that requires both partners to be present in the moment; think sailing, rock climbing, or dance lessons rather than seeing a movie or going out to dinner.
The couple should take turns picking the activity and try to surprise their partner with something new.

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 Couples

These exercises , also from Defeating Divorce, are not just for married couples, but for anyone in a committed relationship.

1. Fireside Chats

This communication exercise is based on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “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 other’s 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 Activity

The 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.

Here’s how the exercise works:

Wait until the end of the day (e.g., at the end of dinner, around bedtime) to put it into practice.
The couple will then “check-in” with each other about the other’s day.
Each partner will ask the other to share their “high” of the day or the best part of their day.
Next, each partner will ask the other to share their “low” of the day or the worst or most disappointing part of their day.
As one partner is sharing, the other should practice active listening techniques, conveying their empathy and understanding to their partner.

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 Words

If 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:

The couple will schedule some time for themselves without kids, work, or other responsibilities interrupting them.
They set a timer for somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes.
Until the timer goes off, one partner acts as the speaker and the other acts as the listener. The speaker will talk about any subject they’d like to talk about.
While the speaker talks, the listener will attempt to show the speaker compassion, empathy, and understanding through nonverbal communication only (e.g., smiling, nodding, taking their partner’s hand).
When the timer goes off, the partners will have a chance to process what they experienced and discuss any thoughts or feelings that came up.
Finally, the partners switch roles and repeat the exercise.

This exercise is a great way to boost your bond and your skills at the same time.

4. Eye See You

Similar 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.

Here’s how to give it a try:

The couple should be in a quiet and relaxing environment, with as few distractions as possible.
They sit in two chairs facing one another, near to one another but not touching.
The couple sets a timer for five minutes and settles in their respective seats, making and holding eye contact with one another. They will hold eye contact but refrain from speaking or touching until the timer goes off.
Both partners should be encouraged to note any thoughts, feelings, or sensations that come bubbling up during these five minutes.
Once the timer goes off, the two should try to guess what the other person was thinking and feeling during the five minutes. Once they have a chance to guess, they should discuss these things that bubbled to the surface as they maintained eye contact.

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 Postcard

Although we’ve mostly focused on verbal communication and communications via body language, facial expressions, and touch, there is another form that we haven’t 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 partner’s 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 partner’s 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 Therapy

If you’re hungry for more couples’ communication exercises, maybe these five exercises will hit the spot!

1. Active Listening

Active 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:

The speaker should remain focused on a single thought or idea.
The listener should listen attentively to the speaker, concentrating on understanding their perspective and attempting to gain new insights into their thoughts and feelings.
The speaker and listener should switch roles after a while to allow each to practice both types of communication.
Both partners should practice speaking and listening with patience and love, allowing their feelings for their partner to guide them toward true understanding rather than just reacting (Tasker, n.d.).

2. Sharing Emotions Freely

It can be tough to be truly open with our emotions, but it’s 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:

Decide on a specific time and place to put this exercise into practice.
Let your partner know what you need to feel safe sharing your feelings, and listen to what your partner needs to feel safe sharing his or her feelings.
Be sure to also ask your partner what would make him or her feel more comfortable as you share your feelings, as it can be just as difficult to hear as it is to share.
Share with your partner! If it helps, use a timer to limit how much sharing can occur and to ensure equal time to share feelings.
Listen to what your partner tells you and discuss what, if any, concrete steps you can take based on the information you’ve both shared. Commit to using the information you gained to improve your communication skills and your relationship in general (Tasker, n.d.).

3. Use Positive Language

Another 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.

Here’s what to do:

Commit to using positive language when you communicate with your partner.
Ask your partner to make the same commitment to positive language.
Avoid being overly critical or negative when communicating with your partner.
Use a positive and encouraging tone when you speak to your partner.
Keep an eye on the words you use; try to incorporate words like “love”, “feel”, “appreciate”, and ditch words like “fault”, “never”, and “hate” (e.g., “I hate it when you do X!”).

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 Together

There’s 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 you’d 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 communication—not 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; you’re 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 it’s 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 often—and more effectively—is 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 you’re upset with your partner for forgetting about an important appointment or canceling plans at the last minute, instead of saying “You don’t respect my time,” try “I feel like you don’t respect my time.”

Framing your discussion in this manner—as a statement of your feelings rather than a personal attack or blaming session—is 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.

According to researchers Peterson and Green (2009), family communication is so important because:

“…it enables members to express their needs, wants, and concerns to each other. Open and honest communication creates an atmosphere that allows family members to express their differences as well as love and admiration for one another.”

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 you’re interested in working on your communication skills as a family, give the following activities and exercises a try.

These 14 activities are great tools to use in family therapy, but you can also try them at home.

4 Group Exercises for the Family

These four group exercises are a great introduction to communication skill-building as a family. They’re 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.

Get two slips of paper and something to write with for each family member.
On the first slip, have each family member write a question off the top of his or her head; it can be silly, serious, or anywhere in between. Put all the questions in one of the bowls and give them a good mix.
On the second slip of paper, have each family member write an answer to the question they came up with. Place these slips in the second bowl and mix them up.
Pass each bowl around the room and have each family member take one question slip and one answer slip.
Have each family member read the question and the answer that they have in their hand. The questions and answers might fit well together or they may result in absurd combinations!
Continue the game with two more slips of blank paper. It may take a few rounds for everyone to get the hang of the game, but family members will get more comfortable with the game and enjoy it more as they go along.

Use the following questions to guide your discussion as a family:

Did the activity spark your imagination?
Why did the questions and answers get funnier after several rounds?

2. Expressing Individuality

Although families usually share values, norms, and beliefs, that doesn’t 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.

You’ll 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:

1 cup flour
1 cup water (add food coloring to water if you want colored clay)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil

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:

½ cup water
Food coloring (if desired—you can also paint the figures after you bake them)

Follow these instructions to encourage each family member to express their individuality:

If you love Boy Scouts, you may want to mold the image of a person sitting on a log by a campfire.
If you received an award as the “Employee of the Month,” you may want to mold the image of something that represents hard work, or dependability.
If friendliness is a personal characteristic that you value, you may want to mold a face with a pleasant smile, or if you have a great love for animals, you may want to mold several of your favorite animals.
After creating your unique design, you can preserve it by placing it on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven on warm for several hours (until hard). This will harden the clay hard so that it maintains its shape. If you did not use food coloring to color the clay, or if you like to paint, you could paint the hardened figure. Once everyone has completed a mold, display these molds in the home.

To continue working on communicating your individuality as a family, ask these questions and discuss your answers together:

Why did you choose to make what you did?
What does it mean to you?

If the idea of creating a figure out of play dough doesn’t appeal to you, you can also try these two alternatives:

You could draw pictures using plain white paper and colored pencils/crayons. Drawing may allow you to express more ideas than if you use clay. Make sure that you do not place an emphasis on artistic abilities. It is okay to draw simple stick figures that represent people or other objects.
You could cut pictures out of old magazines and paste them on a poster board. After each person has completed a mold, picture, or collage, allow each family member to explain how their collage, picture or mold represents them.

3. Hints of Anger

Anger is a normal human emotion, and we will all get angry at some point. Instead of trying to avoid or deny anger, it’s 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 don’t say or do something they will regret.

Here’s how to do this activity as a family:

Tell family members to think about a time when they were angry or upset, and consider how they felt.
Were your hands relaxed or clenched in a fist?
Was your heart rate normal or beating fast?
Were your muscles relaxed or tight with tension?
What kind of thoughts was going through your head?
As a family, discuss any discrepancies between what you think about your anger cues and what other family members think.
How did your body feel during this period of time?
In which scenario did you feel more comfortable, angry, or happy?
Discuss the importance of knowing when you are getting upset and might need to take a break and think.

After the activity, discuss these questions as a family:

Why is it important to recognize the signs that you are angry?
Why is it important to control your anger?
What do you feel like specifically, when you are upset?
What are the things you are going to do to manage your anger so it does not hurt your family relationships?
Can recognizing anger cues help in managing your anger?

4. Family Meetings

Family 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:

Make joint decisions
Plan together
Accept responsibility
Show concern for others
Spend some quality time together

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 it’s scheduled on everyone’s calendar.

Here’s how to conduct good family meetings:

Set a regular time. Setting a regular time and place gives the family council a position of importance and results in it becoming a permanent part of family operations. If everyone knows that the family is meeting together regularly, they find that most problems can wait a few days to be discussed. For this reason, some families like weekly meetings.
Use an agenda. Post a paper during the week where family members can list concerns they want brought up (possibly, the message center). Discuss things in the order listed. This also reduces problems between meetings when parents can say, “List it on the agenda and we’ll discuss it at the meeting.”
Attendance is voluntary . All members of the family are invited to attend — but attendance is voluntary. However, if a member is not present, he/she is still expected to abide by any decisions made by the family council.
Each person has an equal voice . Everyone should be encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions. All members must be treated the same, regardless of age. Using the steps of negotiation to (1) introduce the problem, (2) discuss solutions, and (3) vote on a solution. This gives everyone a chance to be involved. Councils do not always run smoothly. Teenagers are often suspicious that the new program is just another way for parents to gain compliance with their demands. In the first council meetings, rebelliousness may be exhibited to deliberately test whether parents are sincere about including them in family decision-making.
Use rules of order . If participation is to be equal, then some type of order must be maintained. If a person has the right to express himself, then he also has the right to be heard — which implies that others have the obligation to listen. Rules of order help this situation.
Rotate chairmanship . If the same person conducts all meetings, that person eventually begins to assume an air of superiority. To help maintain a feeling of equality, family members should take turns conducting the councils. This allows each person to experience the privileges and the responsibilities of this position.
Accentuate solutions . Family council should not be “just a gripe session” — a time to get together and complain. In order to prevent this, you may decide that the person presenting a problem must also suggest one possible solution. Family members could then discuss alternate solutions or modify the one presented. In practice, some solutions do not work as well as anticipated. As family members begin to live with a decision, they may decide it needs to be changed. This change, however, must wait until the next regular meeting. Children soon recognize a need for better solutions and they learn by experience to make wiser choices. When family council is held regularly, each member learns to project ahead and anticipate problems. When this occurs, the emphasis at council meetings shifts from problem-solving to problem prevention and planning. Family council can also be a time to plan fun things like vacations or family outings. Families can talk about different places to visit and how they want to spend the time available.
Decide on the authority level . The family council can be the final authority for the family, or a family can have a modified version of decision making. For it to be effective, however, most decisions made by the council need to be binding. If parents always overrule the council, children will soon lose interest.
Keep a record . There sometimes develops a difference of opinions as to who conducted the last meeting, what matters were discussed, and what plans were agreed upon. For this reason, a secretary to record minutes is most helpful. The secretary can rotate with each meeting.

After your first family meeting, discuss these questions as a family:

How did your first family meeting go?
What about the meeting was good? What was bad?
What do you want to incorporate in future meetings?

4 Active Listening Exercises

Active 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 Communication

Another activity that can help your family build and continue to develop good communication skills is called “Precision Communication.” It’s focused on active listening, which is a vital part of communication and conducive to better understanding and stronger, healthier relationships.

Here’s how to put this activity into practice:

Set up a maze in your home using furniture, such as kitchen chairs or other pieces of furniture that can act as a barrier.
Tie string or yarn between the furniture to create a clear path through the maze.
Select a family member that will try to walk through the maze blindfolded. This person must not see the maze prior to being blindfolded.
Have someone give voice instructions so the family member can be directed through the maze.

This activity’s 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:

Why was clear detailed communication necessary for this exercise?
How important was it to listen carefully to the one giving instructions? Why?
What were some of the difficulties associated with helping a family member complete this exercise?
Using some of the ideas from this exercise, how can you, as a family, improve your communication skills?

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 Word—Beginning of the Next

This is a fun game on the Encourage Play website that can keep your kids actively engaged in building their listening skills.

Here’s how to play:

One person (probably an adult) starts the game by giving out one word—it can be any word, it just needs to be one that every family member knows how to spell.
The next family member must listen to the word the previous person said, then come up with a word that starts with the letter the last word ended with.

This is an easy game to play since you don’t 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 Light

Another exercise from the Encourage Play website is a familiar one. It’s 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:

Different colors refer to different types of movement; for example, yellow light could mean skipping, purple light could mean crab walking, and blue light could mean hopping.
Pretend to be a different animal for different colors (yellow = lion, green = bunny, purple = frog, etc.).
Use words that rhyme with red or green to see if the players catch the difference (e.g., “Bread Light! Teen Light!”).

4. Tell a Group Story

Group 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.

The first person (probably an adult) starts a story with just one sentence (e.g., “Once upon a time, there was a very curious brown bunny”).
The next person adds onto the story with just one sentence as well (e.g., “This bunny lived with her mother and father in a cozy little burrow under a willow tree”).
The story continues until everyone has contributed at least a couple of sentences to the story.

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 Exercises

One of the best skills to teach your kids is how to be assertive instead of aggressive or passive (or passive-aggressive). Use these three assertive communication activities to help them learn this important skill.

1. Assertive Communication Worksheet

This 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:

“A communication style in which a person stands up for their own needs and wants, while also taking into consideration the needs and wants of others, without behaving passively or aggressively.”

It also outlines the traits of people who are assertive communicators, including:

Clearly state needs and wants
Eye contact
Listens to others without interruption
Appropriate speaking volume
Steady tone of voice
Confident body language

Next, it shares four tips on communicating assertively:

Respect yourself—your wants and needs are as important as everyone else’s.
Express your thought and feelings calmly rather than using the silent treatment or yelling and threatening.
Plan out what you’re going to say before you say it.
Say “no” when you need to, say it clearly, and do it without lying.

After some examples of assertive communication, we get to the active part of the worksheet. It’s 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:

Your partner says, “ I know you have plans for the weekend, but I really need you to watch the kids. I have a friend coming to town, and we made plans .”
Situation: You’ve just received your food at a restaurant, and it was prepared incorrectly. Your sandwich seems to have extra mayo, instead of no mayo.
Your friend says, “ Hey, can I borrow some money? I want to buy these shoes, but I left my wallet at home. I’ll pay you back soon, I swear. It won’t be like last time .”
Situation: Your neighbor is adding an expansion to their house, and the crew starts working, very loudly, at 5 am. It has woken you up every day for a week.

Working through these scenarios as a family can help your kids see what healthy assertive communication looks like and show them that it’s okay to say “no” sometimes.

2. The Aggressive Alligator

The 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 doesn’t 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 Cool

A 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.

Here’s how to go about it:

First, ask your kids how people might feel when they are bullied. If they have trouble coming up with answers, talk about how people might feel angry, scared, sad, upset, embarrassed, or confused.
Next, ask your kids what kinds of things people want to do when they feel this way. If they can’t think of things people might do when they feel upset, angry, or sad, mention that they might yell, throw something, hit something, hide, cry, or do something else to make another person feel as bad as they feel.
Ask your kids if they think these are good or helpful things to do. Explain how everyone has strong, negative feelings like this sometimes, and that it’s okay to feel them. These feelings have a purpose; they tell us that something is wrong or that something needs to be fixed, but they can also encourage us to do the wrong thing unless we learn how to keep a cool head.
Close your eyes and take several slow deep breaths
Count to ten
Relax the muscles in your face and body
Talk silently to yourself and repeat a soothing phrase, such as “Keep calm” or “I control my feelings”
Get a drink of water
Go sit by a person you trust

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 Center’s Bullying Prevention program.

3 Nonverbal Communication Exercises

Finally, 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 Communication

Things 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.

Here’s s description of 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:

What were the non-verbal messages that you observed?
How important do you think the non-verbal messages are in helping you to enjoy the movie and understand what was going on in the movie?
Did you observe any confusing non-verbal messages?
What feelings were expressed through non-verbal communication?
What were some of the difficulties of this activity?
What can you do to be more aware of non-verbal messages?
Did everyone think the non-verbal message meant the same thing?
Are non-verbal messages always obvious in real life?

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 person’s feelings.

After doing this for a few minutes, the two should turn around, face each other, and continue the discussion—they will likely find it much easier!

Use the following questions to guide your discussion after the follow-up:

When you had your backs to each other, did a lack of non-verbal communication affect your ability to communicate with the other person? If so, how?
What feelings did you experience as you communicated with your back to the other person?
When you spoke to the other person face-to-face, did this improve your ability to communicate and understand the other person’s feelings? If so, how?
Did face-to-face communication improve your ability to understand the other person’s feelings?
How can you increase your awareness of non-verbal messages you do not mean to be sending?
How can you be aware of how we may misinterpret someone else’s non-verbal messages?”

2. Charades

Charades is a popular game with kids since it’s fun, easy to play, and can result in some seriously silly situations.

Here’s what you need to do:

Animals: Monkey, dog, cat, rabbit, kangaroo, snake
Activities: brushing teeth, playing cards, shining a flashlight, fishing, playing frisbee
Emotions: scared, sad, bored, angry, happy, wary, proud

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 activity is available from Sue Simmons at Equinox Family Consulting.

3. Silent Snack

Finally, 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:

Put out a few different snacks in individual bowls.
Tell everyone it’s “Silent Snack Time,” meaning there’s no talking allowed!
Offer each person a taste of each snack.
Each player should take turns sharing their opinion on each snack. They can use indicators like thumbs up and thumbs down or facial expressions to communicate their opinions.

It’s a simple activity, but an effective one! Give it a try at your next snack time.

17 Exercises To Develop Positive Communication

17 Positive Communication Exercises [PDF] to develop help others develop communication skills for successful social interactions and positive, fulfilling relationships.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

I 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. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free .

Abass, S. (n.d.). 3 benefits of effective communication in a relationship. Lifehack. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/509189/3-benefits-effective-communication-relationship
https://defeatingdivorce.com/communication-exercises-for-couples/
Fleming, G. (2018). 4 helpful nonverbal communication activities. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nonverbal-communication-activities-1857230
Heitler, S. (2010). What does communication have to do with a good relationship? GoodTherapy. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-communication-have-to-do-with-good-relationship
Lee, T. R., & Pyfer, T. (n.d.). Helping youth succeed: Strengthening family ties: A workbook of activities designed to strengthen family relationships . Utah State University Extension. Retrieved from https://www.families-first.net/uploads/userfiles/files/FL_Youth_02.pdf
Mendler, A. (2013). Teaching your students how to have a conversation. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-your-students-conversation-allen-mendler
Norman, B. (2018). Trainers’ tips: Active listening exercises. Training Zone . Retrieved from https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/develop/cpd/trainers-tips-active-listening-exercises
Peterson, R., & Green, S. (2009). Helping Youth Succeed: Keys to successful family functioning: Communication . Virginia Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/350/350-092/350-092_pdf.pdf
Reichmann, D. (n.d.). 5 communication games guaranteed to bring you closer. Engaged Marriage . Retrieved from https://www.engagedmarriage.com/5-communication-games/
Rosenberg, M. B. (1999). Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion. Del Mar.
Sargent, K. M. (2015). The aggressive alligator: Fun ways to teach assertiveness to children. Art of Social Work . Retrieved from https://kristinamarcelli.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/the-aggressive-alligator-fun-ways-to-teach-assertiveness-to-children/
Simmons, S. (n.d.). Nonverbal games: 10 simple activities . Equinox Family Consulting, Ltd. Retrieved from https://equinoxfamilyconsulting.com/communication/nonverbal-games-10-simple-activities/
Stanfield, J. (2017). 8 tips to teach effective communication skills. James Stanfield. Retrieved from https://stanfield.com/blog/2017/11/8-tips-teach-effective-communication-skills/
Sott, A. (2018). Teaching communication skills. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-communication-skills
Tasker, R. (n.d.). 6 amazing couples therapy exercises for improving communication . GuideDoc . Retrieved from https://guidedoc.com/couples-therapy-exercises-for-improving-communication
Victoria Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Relationships and communications . Better Health Channel. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/relationships-and-communication

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Language for Effectively Communicating Assignments

Language is a critical element in properly communicating the intent of assignments to students. When your assignments are clear, your students are more likely to produce what you want. This teaching tip explains what is really meant by some common task descriptors. When you review the assignment with your students, consider explaining the terms you have used to be sure they understand what you mean.

Common assignment tasks and task descriptors

In addition to the suggestions in this table, review CTE Teaching Tip: Bloom’s Taxonomy Learning Activities and Assessments for additional ways to categorize assignment tasks and corresponding verbs or task descriptors.

Sample task descriptors and what they really mean

Analyze :  Divide a complex whole into its parts or elements, laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny, so as to discover the true nature or inner relationships.

Compare : Look for qualities or characteristics that resemble each other. Emphasize similarities among them, but in some cases also mention differences.

Contrast : Stress the dissimilarities, differences, or unlikeness of things, qualities, events, or problems.

Criticize : Express your judgment about the merit or truth of the factors or views mentioned. Give the results of your analysis of these factors, discussing their limitations and good points.

Define : Give concise, clear, and authoritative meanings. Don't give details, but make sure to give the limits of the definition. Show how the thing you are defining differs from things in other classes.

Describe : Recount, characterize, sketch, or relate in sequence or story form.

Draw : Give a drawing, chart, plan, or graphic answer. Usually, you should label a diagram. In some cases, add a brief explanatory description.

Discuss : Examine, analyze carefully, and give reasons pro and con. Be complete and give details.

Enumerate or list : Write in list or outline form, giving points concisely one by one.

Evaluate : Carefully appraise the problem, citing both advantages and limitations. Emphasize the appraisal of authorities and, to a lesser degree, your personal evaluation.

Explain : Clarify, interpret, and spell out the material you present. Give reasons for differences of opinion or of results and try to analyze causes.

Illustrate : Use a figure, picture, diagram, or concrete example to explain or clarify a problem.

Interpret : Translate, give examples of, solve, or comment on a subject, usually giving your judgment about it.

Justify : Prove or give reasons for decisions or conclusions, taking pains to be convincing.

Outline : Organize a description under main points and subordinate points, omitting minor details and stressing the arrangement or classification of things.

Prove : Establish that something is true by citing factual evidence or giving clear logical reasons.

Relate : Show how things are related to, or connected with, each other or how one causes another, correlates with another, or is like another.

Review : Examine a subject critically, analyzing and commenting on the important statements to be made about it.

State : Present the main points in brief, clear sequence, usually omitting details, illustrations, or examples.

Summarize : Give the main points or facts in condensed form, like the summary of a chapter, omitting details and illustrations.

Trace : In narrative form, describe the progress, development, or historical events from some point of origin.

Common information sources and considerations for students

For additional examples of information sources, the Library has useful “Source types” and “Evaluating Information Sources" research guides.

Web-based : There are many types of online information, including e-journals, websites for various organizations (educational, government, non-profit, etc.), news websites, blogs, and more. When you discuss “web-based” resources, be specific about what sort of online information you are referring to and encourage students to evaluate their sources.

Scholarly journals:   Articles are long, use terminology or jargon of the discipline, usually begin with an abstract and include a bibliography (e.g., Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology; Journal of Academic Librarianship; IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques).

Popular journals :  These are geared towards a more general audience and available on your local newsstand. Articles are short and rarely have bibliographies. (e.g., Maclean’s, Discovery, Psychology Today, Time, Newsweek).

Peer reviewed (or refereed) journal articles : Explain the process of having experts in the field examine an article before it is published to ensure that the research described is sound and of high quality. Refer students to the Notes for Authors section of a journal to determine if it follows peer review. Alternately, refer students to  the Library’s Peer-reviewed journal articles webpage or UlrichsWeb Global Serials Directory

Primary sources : These provide firsthand information in the original words of the creator or eyewitness and may include creative works, original documents, reports of original research, or ideas.

Secondary sources : These provide information reviews and/or, evaluation, analysis, or interpretations of primary sources.

Current :  Specifically define your boundaries for “current.”  Do you mean “current” as in this week, this year, this decade, this century, etc.? Can students refer to older material at all, if it is relevant?

Reproduced (with permission of Michael Steven Marx) from Skidmore College, NY:  Common Terms for Paper Topics and Essay Questions with additions and emendations from Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Effectively communicating assignment tasks. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo .

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IMAGES

1-Basics of EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS.pdf
Communication Worksheet
Paper I , communication assignment
39 Communication Games and Activities for Kids and Students
Communication Skill Lesson for Grade 5
Communication, Worksheets, Writing worksheets

VIDEO

Communication and technology assignment
Introduction to communication: Mastery assignment 1 V5 Speech
[Asu112s] Lec 8 report writing and communications skills
intercultural communication class assignments 4.1 and 4.2
Non-Verbal communication. assignments for Speaking course
BEGG-171# UNIT-1 # BLOCK -1 # MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS..PART-2

COMMENTS

PDF AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SKILLS
communication, and how to improve communication. The book focuses on interpersonal spoken or non-verbal communication, including body language, face and voice, as well as effective speaking and listening. It does not cover written communication. We hope that it will be useful to anyone wishing to improve their communication skills. HOW TO USE ...
PDF Teaching Communication Skills: A Toolkit for Educators
Communication is a process, or a series of steps, carried out to achieve a goal. The process of communication starts with a desire to communicate, or a need to be met. We can use the ABC framework to understand the why of communication. The ABC framework stands for Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence.
PDF Communication Activity Goal: To practice communication skills.
Roleplay #5: Practice Empathy. Your bother/sister calls you for a ride home. On the way home, they tell you their partner is trying to pressure them into having sex. Your brother/sister tried to be assertive, but the situation got worse. Their partner wouldn't let it go, and it got difficult to reason with them.
PDF COMMUNICATION SKILLS GUIDE
Examines aspects of university assignment work, such as academic argument, good style, and referencing. It also has a section on differences in learning and teaching styles, a list of academic skills and where you can get help. Part 3. Professional Communication. Professional Communication prepares you for tasks that you may be asked
PDF Teaching and Persuasive Communication: Class Presentation Skills
the section on development of classroom speaking assignments was adapted from Professor Dunbar's assignment given at her Sheridan Sem-inar entitled "Teaching as Persuasive Communication," ( ). Rebecca S. More, Associate Director of The Sheridan Center, also provided cogent suggestions on both the organization of the manual and wording
PDF Module 2: Communication
PART 2: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES. In Part 2 of this module we're going to move away from talking about what communication is and why it's important to begin exploring how we can have effective communication. But first, let's review a few of the concepts from Part 1.
PDF Building Oral & Written Communication Into Your Classroom
Writing and speaking activities offer students the opportunity to engage with course materials and develop both communication and critical thinking skills. As an expert in your discipline, you can help students develop both disciplinary literacy and critical thinking through regular high and low stakes writing and speaking activities.
Communication Beginnings: An Introductory Listening and Speaking Text
This textbook is designed for beginning-intermediate English language learners. It is composed of 7 chapters, each of which covers specific speaking and listening learning objectives and includes dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each chapter includes listening and speaking components such as dialogues, interviews, discussions and conversation activities. Each ...
PDF COMM 102: Introduction to Communication
Introduces students to the discipline of Communication. Surveys a broad range of sub-disciplines, including social media, strategic communication, human interactions, newswriting, communication technology, media and communication ... these assignments, you are encouraged to express your personal thoughts. V i d e o R e a c t i o n : A fter ...
PDF A Pedagogical Guide to Teaching an Interpersonal Communication Course
We begin by examining the foundational material generally included in an interpersonal communication course, specifically, those fundamental areas that are central to the course. These fundamental areas include (a) verbal and nonverbal communication; (b) listening; (c) perceptions, identities, and emotions; (d) culture; and (e) media/technology.
PDF Incorporating Oral Communication Skills into Your Class
Definitions of Oral Communication: the effective interpretation, composition, and presentation of information, ideas, and values to a specific audience (University of Virginia Oral Communication Competency Report). the ability to compose, critically analyze, present, and deliver information through verbal interactions (University of Wyoming ...
PDF Teaching the Communication Course: Intercultural Communication
students organize their argument, they either give the speech or explain to the class why they organized their speech the way they did. Each semester, students complete an intercultural communication consultation assignment. For this semester-long assignment, students provide a mock consultation presentation to classmates who are
PDF ELT-51 ELT Guide-1: Communication Games
classroom activities. Such activities are generally intended to provide an interesting and entertaining way of practising specific language items or of stimulating learning in such areas as reading or spelling. While they often employ mechanisms such as guessing, which give these activities a communicative dimension and allow students
Sample Assignments
Presentational speaking assignments encourage students to understand course material well enough to communicate it to others. Typically, these assignments emphasize factors such as: research, analysis, evaluation of data. adaptation of materials to meet the demands of the occasion and audience. determination of a suitable purpose and focus for ...
49 Communication Activities, Exercises & Games
5 Communication Activities for Adults. To get started improving your (or your team's, or your student's) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try. 1. Card Pieces. This exercise from the team at MindTools is a good way to help participants develop more empathy, consider other perspectives, build their communication and negotiation ...
PDF Introduction to Communication
Speaking about the role of communication in everyday life, one can say that communication is a system through which the messages are sent, and feedback received. So it is not a one-way process. Rather it is a two-way process. 1.2 PRESENTATION OF CONTENT: Communication is a process of transferring a particular information or
Communication Worksheets
Back-to-Back Drawing Activity. worksheet. The back-to-back drawing communication exercise will get your groups and couples working together, talking, and thinking about how they communicate. Groups are split into pairs of "listeners" and "speakers". The speaker will describe an image for the listener to draw, but the listener cannot speak.
Student Engagement Activities for Business Communications
2. Write one question on the top of a page and leave the rest of the page for student notes. 3. Break students into groups of 2 or 3. Give them each a question and ask them to spend 10 minutes trying to answer it. 4. On half of the whiteboard/ chalkboard write "Unspoken," then on the other half write "Spoken.".
(PDF) Students' Classroom Communication Effectiveness
This study draws on the transactional model of communication to hypothesize that students who are effective communicators will be more successful in the classroom. Participants reported their ...
PDF Teaching Students toCommunicate
PDF E-BOOK ISBN: 978-1-4166-2559-9; see Books in Print for other formats. Quantity discounts are available: e-mail [email protected] or call 800-933-2723, ext. 5773, or ... As will become clear, the benefits of engaging students in mathematical . communication go far beyond helping students meet required standards or achieve higher grades ...
Language for Effectively Communicating Assignments
Language is a critical element in properly communicating the intent of assignments to students. When your assignments are clear, your students are more likely to produce what you want. This teaching tip explains what is really meant by some common task descriptors. When you review the assignment with your students, consider explaining the terms ...
PDF Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and
Seeger, M. W. (2006). Best practices in crisis communication: An expert panel process. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 34(3), 232-244. doi: 10.1080/00909880600769944 Assignments Participation Students' active engagement in the material is essential for success in this course. Thus students must be present both physically and mentally.
PDF BUS210 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT
Communication Assignment." However, realize that Bill Cosby's style often presents 2-3 non-verbal cues every few seconds throughout his comedic routine, resulting in dozens of incidents you could identify in this 7:30 minute video. The answer sheet covers only the first two minutes of the routine and only the most exaggerated cues.
Thanks for an amazing 2024 Discovery Expo!
The Hamline to Hamline Collaboration would like to thank everyone who participated in and supported our 3rd Annual Discovery Expo on March 22. Over 300 Hamline Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade visited Hamline University and were treated to hands-on activities from a number of Hamline University departments and organizations including: Communication Studies, Data ...
PDF Bellevue College Student Engagement
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Bellevue College is dedicated to keeping students engaged by providing a wide array of events that create memories, instill school pride, and bring the BC community closer together through mutually shared experiences. The CAB team hosts and helps to produce campus-wide activities that promote engagement ...