Interpersonal Process Activity (1/10):
Keep a diary of your communication for three days. Note the people you talk to, what is said, and how you feel about each interaction. After you’ve completed the three-day diary, go back through and classify each interaction according to the needs discussed in your book (physical, identity, social, and practical needs). How much of your communication focuses on each need? Also, classify each interaction on a scale from 1-10 (where 1 means that the interaction was very impersonal, and 10 means the interaction was very interpersonal). How much of your communication in interpersonal? Turn in your diary and the answers to these questions.
Listening Activity (1/17):
Practice your ability to paraphrase in order to understand others by following these steps:
a. Choose a partner to help you with this activity. Find a subject on which you and your partner seem to disagree – a personal dispute, a philosophical or moral issue, or perhaps a matter of personal taste.
b. Your partner begins by making a statement on the subject. Your job is to paraphrase the idea. In this step, you should feed back only what you heard your partner say, without adding any judgment or interpretation. Your job here is simply to understand your partner, not to agree or disagree.
c. Ask your partner if your understanding is accurate, and whether there is anything else to add or clarify.
d. If your partner adds to or clarifies his/her message, then paraphrase the revised statement. This process should continue until your partner is sure that you understand him or her.
e. If your partner is willing, you can try reversing roles (you describe your feelings while they try to paraphrase). You may need to give your partner some basic information on paraphrasing.
Briefly write up answers to the following questions, based on this experience: Consider how this process differed from typical conversations on controversial topics. Was there greater understanding here? Do you and your partner feel better about one another? What else did you notice about this conversation? How might your life change if you used more paraphrasing in everyday conversations?
Self Concept Activity (1/24):
Go to http://www.advisorteam.com/user/ktsintro.asp and complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (The website will ask for your e-mail address, but you can put in a fake e-mail if you don’t want to receive SPAM). After completing the assessment, read about your temperament type. Briefly write up answers to the following questions: Which temperament type are you (NF, NT, SP, or SJ)? Do you agree with the way your test came out? (The tests aren't exact - just another way to look at/think about our self-concepts). What kind of messages have you received about the kinds of traits common to your temperament type? Did these messages influence how you evaluated your self-concept (self-esteem)? Do you think your type/personality influences how you communicate? How might thinking about personality types be helpful to communication?
Perception Activity (1/31):
Print four copies of the worksheet that is linked here. You will need to complete this activity with another person whom you know fairly well (but not someone to whom you are very close); this might be a new roommate, a friend of a friend, a classmate, etc. You and your partner should each have two copies of the worksheet. On your first copy, each of you should circle your #1 preferences for the various categories. On your second copy, each of you should circle what you believe the other indicated as their #1 preferences. Exchange sheets, and discuss how close each of you were to guessing the right answers. Discuss the following questions with your partner, and write up your answers briefly: How close were each of you in guessing each other’s preferences? What made this easy or hard for you? Which of your partner’s guesses surprised you? Which of your guesses about your partner were you surprised to find out were wrong? What perceptions of each other did you base your guesses on? Were these perceptions accurate or inaccurate? Did any stereotyping help or hinder your guesses?
Nonverbal Communication Activity (2/14):
Learn more about the nonverbal messages you send by interviewing someone who knows you well” a friend, family member, or coworker. Ask your interview subject to describe how he or she knows when you are feeling each of the following emotions, even though you may not announce your feelings verbally:
a. Anger or irritation
b. Boredom or indifference
c. Happiness
d. Sadness
e. Worry or anxiety
Based on your interview data, briefly write up the answers to the following questions: Which of these nonverbal behaviors do you display intentionally, and which are not conscious? Which functions do your nonverbal behaviors perform in the situations your partner described: repeating, substituting, complementing, accenting, regulating, contradicting, and/or deceiving feelings?
Intercultural Communication Activity
(2/21):
Consider two of the following issues:
·
Time
·
Religion/Worship
·
Family
·
Competition
·
Dating/Marriage
·
Homosexuality
·
Abortion
·
Corporal Punishment
For each of the two issues you pick, briefly write up the answers to the
following questions: What is your own
attitude toward the concept? (Your values?) Give a specific example of a time
when this attitude influenced your behavior.
How does your attitude/value
contrast with that of your parents' generation? How does your attitude/value contrast with that of your
grandparents' generation? What role
does your cultural background play in influencing your attitude? How might your attitude be different if you
came from another culture?
Relationships Activity (2/28):
Review Knapp’s 10 stages of relationship development. Then think about a relationship you are or were in and how this relationship developed (this may be a romantic relationship, friendship, business relationship, etc.). On a sheet of paper, draw a representation of the relationship’s development, labeling different stages of development. (Click here for a sample drawing). Then briefly write up the answers to the following questions: What stages has the relationship been through or not been through? Which stages lasted the longest? Did you see circular development in your relationship drawing (like how the example moves back into the initiating stage)? Were any stages particularly difficult? Did any “defining moments” move your relationship to a different stage? What attraction variables and relationship dynamics (dialectics) are/were present in this relationship?
Emotions Activity (3/7):
Take 2-5
minutes and write down as many emotions as you can think of. Then circle
the 2 emotions you feel most frequently. Next, star (*) the 2 emotions you express most frequently.
Place an X next to the 2 emotions you express
least frequently. (Note that the same emotions may be both starred and
X'ed). Then briefly write up the
answers to the following questions: How
comfortable do you feel expressing your emotions? Why/when do you NOT
express your emotions? With whom do you
express emotions? Which emotions? (Note that you may express different emotions
with different people.) What
conclusions/generalizations can you draw from your discussion of the above
points?
Conflict Activity (3/28):
From your recent experiences recall two conflict incidents, one functional and one dysfunctional. Then briefly write up the answers to the following questions: What distinguished these two conflicts? What were the consequences of each? How might the dysfunctional conflict have turned out differently if it had been handled in a more functional manner? How could you have communicated differently to make the dysfunctional conflict more functional?
