Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 2, Session 2: Positive Communication | Page 24 of 127- Ask participants to continue with the remaining examples and after about 10 minutes, invite groups to
act out their I Statements. You can use Trainer Material 1: Suggestions for I Statement Practice to help coach
the participants.
Note: This activity will take considerable coaching because it is usually difficult for people to state a situation as an
observation without adding a negative judgment about it. Feelings can also be tricky to identify and name. If participants
give answers that fall short, try to avoid saying they are totally wrong. Say something like, “That’s one way to think about it
and what about ... ”- Choose discussion questions for the whole group, as appropriate, from the following:
Which do you think is more difficult, describing the behavior that is observed or naming the
feelings one might have about the behavior?
What are some other situations you might encounter where an I Statement would be helpful?
Some people find making I Statements less stressful. Why do you think this might be true?
What are some ways to adapt I Statements to a more indirect culture? (Possible answer: Describe
the observation and your feelings but don’t make a request.)Note: Indirect communication doesn’t mean you never relay your opinion or want a change. Often it means other people
are pulled into the communication chain.Note: These discussion questions are an assessment of Learning Objective 1.B. Summary
Conclude the exercise by saying:
“To make communication more positive, it’s helpful to separate your feelings from the person’s
behavior. Sometimes we feel strong emotions because of what someone says or does. We might then
respond with a strong statement of our own. Emotions can confuse the communication. If the listener
realizes you are angry, they might not want to listen. If you are angry, you might not choose the best
words to communicate your message. Remember, we want to use words and ways of communicating
that help make our listener want to listen to our important message.”IV. Application (30 minutes)
Materials:
Pens or pencils
Handout 5: Communication Plan
A. Walk and Talk
Participants make a plan for better communication
- Explain that physical movement can allow our brain to think more clearly. Say: