Action Research in Effective Communication About Me

Name: ______Date:______Partner:______

Action Research in Effective Communication – About Me

Part I Assumption: In order for effective communication to be achieved, a select group of key components must take place; otherwise the communication that occurs is likely to be less than completely effective.

Questions to Consider: What is action research? Does communication always have a beginning, middle and ending? Can we break down our understanding of communication, so that our understanding is increased? What is meant by effective? Can you recall a time when you experienced a really good conversation? If yes, what took place, (key components), that made the communication really good?

Activity Goal: To discover the key components of effective communication within the parameters of a two pronged experimental activity in communication.

Outcome: To learn how to implement, apply and develop effective communication strategies in your daily lives, as students and gainfully employed future adults.

Activity Details: (2 classes - 160 minimum) 1. The class will be divided into two sample groups. Group A and group B. 2. In pairs, students will find a good location to share a short 4 – 6 minute story from their summer break. (Story can be any experience, event, trip, incident, or activity that directly involved you). 3. Each person will take turns sharing their summer time story in 4 – 6 minutes. 4. When you are the listener, you will jot down or write short phrases and words you think are important about the story. If time and the story teller permits, the listener may ask two story related questions. 5. When you are the story teller you will be as clear and detailed as possible. 6. To begin, sample group A will be blind folded, and sample group B will not. 7. Upon completion of telling stories, pairs will return to their sample group and the listeners will take turns sharing the partner’s story. (Develop a simple story telling rating scale as a class). Without interrupting, each story’s author will rate how well their listener did in relaying their story to the sample group. 8. After a reasonable sample of stories has been shared, the class will return into one large group to discuss, compare and analyze the experimental data collected during the story telling activity. Name: ______Date:______Partner:______

Part II Analyzing the Data

Asking Important Questions to Analyze Experimental Data: 1. What did you find about the process easy? Why? How? Explain? Record? 2. What did you find about the process hard? Why? How? Explain? Record? 3. What stood out as important to do during the telling of the story? 4. Did you do anything during the experience that was useful to the task? 5. Did you do anything during the experience that made the task more difficult? 6. Did anything occur during the experience that made it easier to do? 7. Did anything occur during the experience that made it or more difficult to do? 8. Try to create two other important questions to ask. Instructions: Respond individually to each of the above listed question as honestly and accurately as you can. On a separate piece of paper record your responses as a pair group.

Research Discoveries 1. Each student will respond (preferably in writing) to this mini experiment in the form of a 1 page reflection. (Discuss the nature and course expectations around reflection journals as a class). 2. List anything you consider to be important, discovery or new knowledge about Effective Communication having participated in this communication experiment.