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Announcements
Announcements
You should have completed Waypoint 1: Communication Analysis (due pre-class)
You should be working on Milestone 1 for Project 1: Tangible CA (due Friday pre-class)
You will be working on Waypoint 2: Networking (due next Wed EOD)
Note: Wed 10/21 - CDC Tech Industry Meetup from 5 - 7:30pm (Great Room)
Active Listening
Active Listening
Active listening is an important part of communication and refers to a process of listening to understand the speaker. You can signal you value and respect another person by listening with purpose. By pausing to reflect and try on different perspectives, we could learn that while we intended to be helpful, our words might not have had the desired impact.
When you engage in active listening, you are not listening to find weaknesses or ways to respond; you are listening to understand.
[Be open] Create space by pausing and slowing down to notice what you are feeling, and focus on listening actively instead.
[Practice mirroring] You can act as a mirror by clarifying what you heard. By asking “Can I repeat back to make sure I’m with you?”, we are not only signaling that we are listening, but also ensuring that we understand correctly.
[Seek perspective] We can try on other perspectives to gain a deeper sense of where they’re coming from. We may still disagree with what they’re saying, but the goal is to see the situation. Instead of immediately jumping to a conclusion or giving advice, take the time to reflect on their words and digest their point of view.
[Intention vs Impact] Consider the perspective of the listener and how our response might impact them. A well intended message can still come across otherwise.
Communication Workshop
Communication Workshop
Phase 1: Perspective-taking
Phase 1: Perspective-taking
In groups, take 8-10 minutes to address the following and write your group's response on the board.
Come up with 2-4 points that address the following prompt:
What CS curricular activities (e.g., assignments or activities from previous courses) have required you to practice perspective-taking?
For example: when using the debugger, a breakpoint creates an opportunity for the programmer to try on the perspective of the computer; in this setting, the programmer can look at what memory the computer can "see" and what else is in its scope.
We saw that one of the top skills that employers are looking for is "Communication (written)." Refer also to this resource from NACE. Practice perspective-taking and consider what an employer might have meant when checking this box on a survey.
What are some examples of written communication that you anticipate would be needed in the workplace?
Phase 2: Leverage perspective-taking
Phase 2: Leverage perspective-taking
The Communication Challenge
You have the rest of class to work in your group to produce a "written communication" product that explains elementary cellular automata to a non-technical audience. You might imagine a first-grader, a friend you grew up with, a relative or (!) a museum curator. Post your completed product to your web site and to Ed.
You may wish to consider the following:
what problem are you trying to solve?
what resources are available to you?
you may use AI tools of any kind
what else?
how will you try on different perspectives? whose perspectives should you try?
what constraints are being imposed upon you?
time, modality, ...
This is also a moment to practice and build problem-solving, teamwork and initiative skills.
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