Purpose

Think and Discuss:

1. I think my phone is the best way to handle most communication needs, whether that’s texting, using social media, or actually calling someone and talking live.
2. I have a good sense of how to communicate in different environments/situations.
3. I listen more than I talk.
4. I have a lot of experience with research projects and essays

What is communication? What is the purpose?

Directions

Part 1: Your Dream Job

Step 1: Create an online collage or a drawing of yourself doing your dream job.

- This can be anything – it doesn’t need to be a real job; it could be exploring Mars or sitting in a garden reading a book.
- Include as much detail as possible in 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes, clamshell your laptop so no one can see

Step 2: Pair Up:

1. 1. Decide who will be the first communicator and who will be the first listener.
  2. Sit back to back. Make sure the listeners have a blank piece of paper and a pen for drawing.
  3. The goal is for the listener to recreate the communicator’s picture without seeing the original drawing.
  4. For this round, only the communicator can talk.
  5. Take 5 minutes to come up with the first drawing.
  6. When your time is up, compare the drawing to the collage.
  7. Take a few moments to inspect the work (feel free to laugh and shout out “ohhhhh, that’s what you meant”).

Quick debrief: partners discuss together and then share out whole group.

Step 3: Switch roles

1. 1. This time, sit face to face or side to side (but still keep the communicator’s drawing hidden).
  2. Your goal is the same, but this time both the communicator and the listener can talk.
  3. Take 7 minutes to come up with the second drawing.
  4. When time is up, compare the collage and drawing.
  5. Quick debrief of this step: partners discuss together and then share out with the whole group.

What worked best for you as a team? What was most challenging for you this time?

This is an excellent activity for unpacking how we listen and communicate. While you will generally draw more closely matched pictures in the second step, there can still be roadblocks: because you can both talk, you might not listen as well, or there may be moments of conflict or frustration if you aren’t understanding each other. Time can be a factor, as can physical orientation. Your perceptions of your own drawing skills can affect how you interact, as can the goal of having to capture someone else’s vision.

Part 2

Choose from scenario 1 or 2 and write a message to each audience member. As you plan your message for each audience, decide:

- - Which form of communication technology would you use for each person?
  - What info should you include in each message?
  - What will your tone, word choice, punctuation, and grammar be like in each message?

Scenario 1

Imagine that you and your best friend both have a job waiting tables at a local restaurant. You are supposed to work tonight, but you wake up with a fever and need someone to cover your shift. Write an appropriate message to each of the audiences:

One to your best friend
One to your manager at the restaurant

Scenario 2

Imagine you want to show appreciation for the career advice you recently received. Write an appropriate message to each of the following audiences:

A person you don’t know well who works in your favorite career field
A family member who has a career that interests you

Everyone does Scenario 3:

Scenario 3

Imagine you are part of a group that has to complete an important project for a class. You have not been able to participate and do your work because of an illness. While your group members have been trying to get in touch with you, you have not been able to let them know what happened and what you plan to do. Write an appropriate message to each of the audiences:

Your group members
Your teacher

Part 3: Write - Next module

Teacher Notes