Being Sensitive to Cultural, Intellectual, and Physical Differences
by Kim Anderson, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

Standard 6: Utilizing Effective Communication
Quality Indicator #1: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Imagine it is noon at Christmas time and the mall parking lot is packed as you struggle to your car with arms full of bags. You notice someone walking up behind you, but it doesn’t faze you as a woman brushes past you to find her parked car among the masses. That same night, however, you are at the same mall at closing time and the parking lot is almost empty. It is dark outside, and no one is around except that one person walking up quickly behind you. Do you feel the same ease you felt earlier that same day? Probably not. Just as adults experience different levels of comfort and anxiety depending on the situation, students feel these same emotions in our classrooms.

Paying attention to how your students feel in each classroom situation can help prevent anxiety and can decrease misunderstandings and missed opportunities for relationship building. Two ways teachers can improve communication is by respecting proxemics and by paying attention to paraverbal messages.

Proxemics is the personal space surrounding a person, a personal bubble. When someone invades another person’s proxemics his anxiety will increase.  This can escalate situations that could have been prevented had the individual’s personal space been respected (Crisis Prevention Institute, 2006). Most students come to us with an ingrained understanding of personal space; however, there will be times when you might have to teach someone that they have a proxemics “bubble.” A kindergarten teacher I once observed used suspenders to put hula hoops on her students for an entire week during their hallway/transition time. The rationale was that every time a student moved too close to a peer the hula hoop would invade someone else’s bubble. For the rest of the year her students respected the personal boundaries and bubbles of their peers.  

Many factors can affect a person’s proxemic needs including gender, age, size, cultural background, position of authority, or familiarity. For example, a kindergarten teacher typically expects students to invade her proxemics with hugs, but a high school teacher would not expect or allow the same behavior from his teenage students.

Being mindful of a person’s proxemics might be all you need to be a support in a stressful situation.  I once worked with a student who was emotionally out of control. He was crying, banging his hands on the wall and kicking his feet while sitting on the floor. Walking into the room I had no idea why he was in distress but I knew standing over him would make him feel threatened and would heighten his anxiety. Instead I sat on the floor beside him with an arm’s length between us for respect and safety. He immediately calmed down, and we were able to process through the situation. Simply getting on his level was all it took to decrease his anxiety. Getting in rapport and respecting a person’s proxemics can help you communicate more effectively with those you encounter each day.

Another important attribute to consider when conveying a message to others is your paraverbal communication. “It is extremely important to not only pay attention to what you say but how you say it. Paraverbal communication is often called the ‘link between nonverbal and verbal communication.’ Only a minute percentage of the message we deliver to a person is delivered through words” (Crisis Prevention Institute, 2006).

Four things you want to remain mindful of in your voice during communication are your tone, pitch, volume, and cadence (the rate in which you speak). Click on this link to hear and see some examples of how these four factors may affect your communication with others.

Taking the time to truly listen to what an individual is saying, not only with his words but also with his non-verbals sends a message of patience, attention and understanding and can often prevent a miscommunication.

Being mindful of proxemics and paraverbal communication is vital to being an effective educator. Being able to understand the messages of others and successfully relaying your own intended message is the very foundation to any positive relationship. Because we know students learn better from those they have positive relationships with we know these elements are essential. Take time to listen not only to the words of your students but notice what they are communicating through their actions.

CPI. (2006). Instructor Manual for the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training Program. Milwaukee, WI: Author.

The Power of Paraphrasing
by Sarah Logan, SPS Professional Learning Specialist

Standard 6: Utilizing Effective Communication
Quality Indicator #1: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Superheroes are best known for their extraordinary abilities, exceptional courage, and exceedingly magical powers. Teachers certainly possess a number of qualities that meet the eligibility requirements for becoming a superhero. One of a teacher’s magical powers is the ability to navigate communication with a multitude of customers.   One specific communication tool available achieves immeasurable results time and time again.  This single tool illuminates and shapes thinking, while enhancing relationships.  This tool is paraphrasing.   The power of a paraphrase is unlike anything else known to man. 
In the words of a former 5^th grade student, paraphrasing is “saying the same thing without saying the same thing.” Whereas there is truth to this explanation, a paraphrase can be much more. As a listening tool, a paraphrase demonstrates that you are seeking to understand, that you are interested in hearing what a person has to say. A paraphrase invites the speaker to clarify and refine his thoughts.

Three types of paraphrasing allow teachers to demonstrate superhero qualities:

X-Ray Vision (Acknowledge & Clarify)
In an acknowledging and clarifying paraphrase, you simply offer an emotion or reflection of the person’s thinking. To a student, you might say, “You’re disappointed that your idea ...” To a parent, you might offer, “You’re concerned because your child ...” To a colleague, you could say, “You’re wondering how we can ...” The key to crafting this type of paraphrase is to look for the message beneath the words you’ve heard.

Leaping Tall Buildings in a Single Bound (Summarize & Organize)
Oftentimes, people will give you a lot of verbal information at one time, especially when they are processing complex subjects. When this occurs, it may be helpful to use a summarizing and organizing paraphrase. A summary of key points or organizational framework of ideas may help someone synthesize their thoughts. With a student you could say, “You’re thinking the first step is to _____and from there you would ____.” With a parent it might sound like, “So the goals you have in mind for your child are _____, _____, and _____.” When speaking with a colleague, you might say, “On one hand, we want to _______, but on the other hand, we need to ______.” This type of paraphrase allows you to capture a great deal of information in a succinct way.

Elasticity (Abstracting)
An abstracting paraphrase can identify a particular value or belief underlying a person’s thinking, or it can give a concept label to a recurring pattern of thought. If you’re speaking to a student, it might sound like, “You’re a person who believes that……” If you’re talking with a parent, you could say, “An important value for your family is……” When interacting with a colleague, you might say, “An assumption you’re operating from is that……” The power of an abstracting paraphrase is that it stretches thinking by inviting a different perspective.

When combined with pausing and nonverbal signals that you’re actively listening, a paraphrase just might be one of the most powerful communication tools you can use in your role as a superhero-like educator. (The cape is optional.)

For more information about paraphrasing, please refer to Cognitive Coaching Seminars® Foundation Training Learning Guide 9^th ed.by Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston and Jane Ellison and Carolee Hayes. (2012). Center for Cognitive Coaching