Active learning ideas
Effective communication is the lifeblood of leadership. This topic covers the communication process, including encoding, decoding, and the various 'noises' or barriers that can distort a message. Students practice active listening, non-verbal communication, and the art of delivering constructive feedback in a professional setting.
Activity 01
In pairs, students take turns playing a manager and an employee. The manager must deliver difficult feedback (e.g., about chronic lateness) using the 'Positive-Constructive-Positive' technique while the other practices active listening.
What are the common barriers to workplace communication?
Activity 02
Students must complete a task while facing different 'barriers' (e.g., one group can only use email, one is in a noisy room, one has a 'language barrier' using only emojis). They then compare the accuracy of their results.
How does active listening improve leadership effectiveness?
Activity 03
Present three scenarios: firing an employee, announcing a holiday party, and explaining a complex new policy. Students pair up to decide the best channel (email, face-to-face, video) for each and why.
What is the best approach for delivering constructive feedback?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Communication is just about talking well.
Listening is at least 50% of effective communication. Active listening exercises, where students must paraphrase a partner's complex argument before responding, help them realize how much they usually miss.
Email is always the most efficient way to communicate.
Email lacks non-verbal cues and can lead to misunderstandings in sensitive situations. Analyzing 'email fail' case studies helps students see when a face-to-face conversation is necessary.
Methods used in this brief
Theories of Motivation
Students examine classic and contemporary theories of motivation, such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. They will apply these theories to workplace scenarios to understand how to drive employee performance.
8 methodologies
Group Dynamics and Teamwork
This topic focuses on the stages of team development and the factors that contribute to successful group dynamics. Students will learn how to manage team conflict and foster collaboration.
8 methodologies