Communication Skills***
40 ~ 60 minutes
Embedded Files
Standard
Standard
The tutor understands and can successfully implement one or more of the following communication skills: verbal & non-verbal communication skills; cultural differences in communication; gender differences in communication; etc.
The tutor understands and can successfully implement one or more of the following communication skills: verbal & non-verbal communication skills; cultural differences in communication; gender differences in communication; etc.
Outcome
Outcome
The tutor incorporates effective communication skills into her/his tutoring sessions and can identify communication styles and differences among those styles.
The tutor incorporates effective communication skills into her/his tutoring sessions and can identify communication styles and differences among those styles.
Communication is an important part of college success. Instructors must communicate expectations and content. Students must communicate questions and understanding. Tutors must communicate success strategies and ways to understand material.
Communication is an important part of college success. Instructors must communicate expectations and content. Students must communicate questions and understanding. Tutors must communicate success strategies and ways to understand material.
Silence
Silence
This may come as a counter-intuitive surprise, but utilizing silence is actually a trademark of excellent communicators. Specifically, constructive silence is an extremely effective tool for communicating and progressing the discussion.
Here are two examples of what constructive silence looks like and how it can be used intentionally in tutoring:
Remaining quiet while a student verbally puzzles through the task at hand. With the tutor not filling the silence, the student is required to find solutions independently instead of relying on the tutor giving them the answers.
If tutors practice speaking less, it motivates them to use less words to communicate their point. This can lead to stronger and more concise communication.
Word Choice
Word Choice
Selective word choice shows intentionality in communication.
Selective word choice shows intentionality in communication.
While a relatively simple concept, many people simply forget altogether about choosing their words carefully. On occasion, this can lead to big problems. However, in the scope of tutoring, it's usually small scale word choices that can be improved to increase the overall quality and professionalism of the encounter.
Here are a few examples of simple changes tutors can make to their vocabulary:
"Gonna" should become "going to." There are many words like this that people often abbreviate in spoken language. By clearly pronouncing the two words, tutors are instantly becoming more professional in their delivery.
This one should be fairly obvious, but tutors should not be cussing or using offensive language when in an appointment with a student or in their working environment.
If a tutor has questions about what constitutes "offensive language," they can check with their supervisor. For the most part, however, if a tutor is concerned that something they want to say is offensive, they should simply air on the side of caution and not say it.
Another word choice fix that will help the student to feel less targeted and, frankly, a little less ignorant is problem-oriented wording.
Instead of saying, "You did this problem wrong," the tutor should instead say, "This problem is wrong." The tutor is communicating essentially the exact same information, but by removing the "you" oriented wording, it sounds less pointed. This is a small change, and can often seem insignificant to a tutor, but it definitely helps the student feel more open to correction in the long run.
Ask Great Questions
Ask Great Questions
Tutoring is essentially the art of asking skillful questions.
Tutoring is essentially the art of asking skillful questions.
By asking intentional questions, tutors are causing the student to think critically about their situation or the task at hand. Here are a few simple examples of questions tutors can ask students that can lead to solutions or more helpful questions:
"What about the directions are not making sense to you?" This question actually works to pinpoint where the confusion is stemming from rather than just "all of it."
"Where might there be examples of problems similar to this one?" This question leads the student to using their resources. Whether it's their notes, textbook, or previous homework assignments.
"What do you think is contributing to you feeling overwhelmed with this assignment?" This question helps the student analyze all of the factors in their life, school related or not, that may be contributing to their stress. After those are identified, a game plan can be made to handle them and the assignment at hand.
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal makes up the majority of our communication.
Nonverbal makes up the majority of our communication.
An often overlooked part of communication, nonverbal actually accounts for 90% of the communication that occurs in human interaction. Therefore, tutors should consider it a critical part of how they engage with the students their working with.
Here are a few examples of non-verbals and how tutors can use them to communicate in the best way possible with their students:
Facial expression.
Likely the most well-known form of nonverbal communication, facial expression is arguably the most important way people communicate with one another. Tutors should always work to maintain an appropriate facial expression when working with a student. While there are many, a few common facial expressions a tutor should portray when necessary are encouragement, empathy, excitement, and concern.
Body language
Another critical aspect of nonverbal communication, body language is constantly "speaking" to whoever we're interacting with, even when we're not saying anything. Students can easily tell by a tutors body language how invested they are in the tutoring appointment. A tutor should try to maintain open and engaged body language, while still being professional.
Ex: Tutors should not be leaned away from the student or slouched. They should be sitting up straight with their upper body angled in the direction of the student or assignment. Arms should not be crossed, but placed on the table or in a similar position.
Eye contact
This form of nonverbal communication can be challenging for some people to master. There's a happy medium between too little and too much eye contact, and tutors want to make sure they're finding that medium. The amount of eye contact that is appropriate also fluctuates based off of each individual student the tutor is working with.
Here are some general guidelines:
When praising a student or their work, this is an excellent time to make eye contact. This helps the student to know that the tutor is making a genuine statement.
Make eye contact when confirming with a student that they understand what has been covered or communicated. It will be much easier for the tutor to tell if the student truly understands or if they're just nodding their head.
Practice "on and off" eye contact. Holding someone's stare for an extended period of time is almost always going to feel awkward for both parties. The tutor shouldn't dodge eye contact, but they can look at other things (such as the assignment) periodically to make eye contact feel more natural.
When in doubt, the tutor should default to making their nonverbal communication as open and approachable as possible. From there, the student will usually set the tone and the tutor can re-calibrate accordingly.
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