Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
A. Purpose:
1. Ice-breaker.
2. To get students acquainted with several other classmates (helps them
make informed choices when they form term groups).
3. To make some rudimentary points on the relationship between first
impressions and limited information (nonverbal in this case).
B. Time required: about 35 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Have students form pairs (dyads). If there is an odd number of
students, the instructor may form a pair with a student or there can
be one threesome (triad).
2. Students in each pair will write down whether they think they are
similar to or different from their partners in the following areas:
a. Politics (same or different political party or interest in politics)
b. Education (aspirations and goals)
c. Religion (strong religious affiliation or weak to non-existent)
d. Social interests (party animal or stay-at-home with the remote
control type)
e. Geographic home (midwest, southwest, east, etc.)
3. NOTE: Students do not talk to each other until they have finished the above.
4. Have students discuss their guesses with their partner and find out how
accurate they were, and what information they used to make their guesses.
5. After about 5 minutes, have students form new pairs and repeat the
same procedure.
6. In 30 minutes students should be able to form about 5 pairs.
II. “Find the Missing Person” exercise (find a class member that fits each of 10
categories)
A. Purpose:
1. Ice-breaker.
2. To get students acquainted with several other classmates (helps them
make informed choice when they form term groups).
B. Time required: about 15 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Distribute the sheet with instructions to all students.
2. Signal for students to begin the task.
THE SHEET
INSTRUCTIONS: Move around the classroom and try to find someone who matches
each of the listed descriptions below. Check off each listed item as you find the person
who is a match. Write down the name of that person on this sheet. Use only ONE person
per listed item—no duplicates.
1. An individual older than 25
2. A Democrat
3. A Republican
4. Someone who voted in the last national election
5. Someone who did NOT vote in the last national election
6. An individual who has attended this college for longer than 2 years
7. Someone who does not own a car
8. A vegetarian
9. An individual on an athletic team at this college
10. An individual who has lived in local county longer than 5 years
D. Processing the exercise
1. Ask which items were most difficult.
2. Ask which items were easiest
3. Ask for explanations
4. Note that this activity assists students in determining with whom they might
like to form a group for future class activities.
5. Simple points on first impressions can also be noted
III. Return to Paradise ethics activity
A. Purpose: to provide a robust discussion of ethical communication
B. Time required: one to two class periods (depending on length of movie version
provided)
C. Instructions: Have the class watch “Return to Paradise,” a gripping film about a
horrendous ethical dilemma. The Vince Vaughan character is particularly
effective.
This is a fairly lengthy film. An edited version can be made to shorten the length
without diluting the impact and harming the activity (choose only certain scenes
from the DVD menu; skip the entire first part of the movie and merely
summarize it to the class before showing excerpts of the film).
1. Break class into small groups (4-6).
2. Briefly discuss the 5 criteria for ethical communication presented in Chapter
One
3. Have all groups discuss the movie in terms of these 5 standards, citing
numerous examples from the movie to support the ethical or unethical
behavior of characters
D. Processing
1. Have each group report results of their discussions
2. Make points about ethical communication and the dilemmas we often face.
Discuss “no absolute rules” of ethical communication issue
IV. The Joy Luck Club movie excerpt.
A. Show excerpt about a third of the way into the movie. The clip begins with
Waverly, a young Asian woman bringing her boyfriend, Rich, to her parents’
house for dinner. End the clip about 4 minutes later with Waverly and Rich in
their car driving home.
B. This clip shows intercultural miscommunication resulting from the individualism-
collectivism dimension. Rich is direct in his communication, sometimes too direct
for a collectivist Asian family. His individualism shows starkly. Rich looks
“selfish” and Me-oriented (individualistic) when he pours himself a second glass of
wine before anyone else has done more than take a first sip. He serves himself an
overly generous portion of a main course before others have sampled the dish,
creating disapproval and disharmony at the dinner table. Rich unintentionally
insults the mother’s cooking producing horror from the assembled group. When he
pours soy sauce on the mother’s culinary masterpiece he tries to “fix” a problem
that doesn’t exist–a typical “take matters into your own hands” individualistic
approach. He never asks anyone at the table whether they want soy sauce dumped
on the dish. All of these mistakes occur because Rich operates from a typical
American perspective of individualism, yet he is a guest in a collectivist household
governed by a strong desire for harmony and a We-orientation.
V. Excerpt from movie, Mystic Pizza
A. Show the segment where Julia Roberts’ character, Daisy, has dinner with her
boyfriend, Charley’s rich family and her boyfriend destroys the evening. End the
segment with the scene where Daisy says she wants to go home.
B. Discuss this excerpt with the class in terms of transactional communication and
especially the communication competence model:
1. We-not-Me orientation–the boyfriend disrupts dinner to make an
inappropriate point.
2. Sensitivity–the boyfriend shows no sensitivity to his date who feels awkward
from the outset, nor to the dinner guests who are visibly embarrassed by the
verbal boxing match between father and son. The server, Teresa, also
exhibits insensitivity to her friend, Daisy (Julia Roberts).
3. Appropriateness–Teresa shows inappropriateness when she begins
conversing with Daisy about her job in the pizza parlor (she is supposed to
serve the food not become one of the dinner guests); the aunt makes a
bigoted comment; the father and son air their dirty laundry during dinner and
in front of guests; nothing the boyfriend does is appropriate from start to
finish.
4. Knowledge without skill–the father tries to smooth over an awkward situation
when it is revealed that Daisy is a waitress at a pizza parlor. Father's
comment, however, comes across as lame attempt. He knows what should be
done but not how to do it gracefully. The mother likewise comes across as
patronizing.
VI. Excerpt of movie Home for the Holidays
A. Begin the clip about 30 minutes into the movie, a Thanksgiving dinner disaster.
Aunt Glad (Geraldine Chaplin) is singing. Soon she says, “You’re the best thing
on two legs, Henry Lawson.” End the clip when the Holly Hunter character
follows her mother out of the room.
B. Almost every standard of competent communication is violated during the
dinner. Family members exhibit a pronounced Me-orientation, spilling family
secrets, embarrassing each other. There are frequent interruptions, ridicule, and
venting of anger. Appropriateness is a central concern throughout. Aunt Glad is
clearly inappropriate, but she can be forgiven some because she is rather daffy.
Others cannot be excused so easily. Foul language, coarse jokes, and abuse
abound. There is a stunning lack of sensitivity exhibited by most combatants.
Communication is clumsy and boorish.
VII. Hindsight Bias Test
A. Have students complete the Hindsight Test (page of the text) in advance of
the class, or have the students take the exam in class on the first day (presumably
before they have checked the answers at the end of Chapter One of the text).
Display the test questions. Ask for a show of hands for how many students
scored As, Bs, Cs, etc. Indicate before the show of hands that there is no disgrace
in doing poorly on an exam before the text/class material has been covered.
You’re just making a point that “common sense” or personal experience alone is
often a poor guide for communication competence. If a few students do well,
simply note that this hindsight test is the easiest exam of the term because no
questions on technical definitions and conceptual knowledge are asked. All
questions are “general knowledge”. Students are also not asked to explain any of
their answers so guessing could account for good scores (or someone from a
previous class could have told them the correct answers). DO NOT EXPLAIN
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS. Simply defer such discussion until the
appropriate chapter material is covered during the term (coming attractions).
B. SCORING THE TEST:
Hindsight Bias Test Answers: All false except #14.
To determine your grade, deduct 2 points for each incorrect answer. Total possible
points = 30. Your grade is calculated by subtracting the sum of all points deducted
for wrong answers from 30 possible points, then dividing that number by 30. For
example, five incorrect answers result in a 10-point deduction. Subtracting that 10-
point deduction from 30 equals 20 points. Your 20 points divided by 30 equals
67%.
15 QUESTIONS x 2 points apiece: Maximum 30 points:
27-30 = A
24-26 = B
21-23 = C
18-20 = D
Below 18 = F
VIII. Excerpt from movie, Sleepless in Seattle
A. Show brief 5-minute clip from the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Clip begins about
two-thirds of the way into the movie when Sam (Tom Hanks) is having dinner
with his sister (Rita Wilson) and his brother-in-law. Begin the scene when his
sister says, “You saw her in the airport and then here?” End the clip when the
brother-in-law says, “Oh God, I love that movie.”
B. This scene makes the point that men and women do not communicate in exactly
the same ways, nor appreciate the same things. The comparison of the movie An
Affair to Remember and The Dirty Dozen discussed in this scene, with very
different male-female responses, is very funny. It makes a nice lead-in to
either of the gender differences exercises below.
C. Additional clips making similar points about gender differences in
communication can be shown from: Story of Us (scene in which Rita Wilson
freaks out about the toilet paper roll with the memorable line, “Does he not see it;
does he NOT SEE IT!”; or scene from When Harry Met Sally in which Billy
Crystal character says to Meg Ryan character that “men and women can never be
just friends”; or scene from Birdcage where Robin Williams character tries to
teach Nathan Lane character how to walk and act “like a man” illustrating
exaggerated stereotypes of male nonverbal and verbal communication; or several
scenes (take your pick) from The 40 Year Old Virgin or "I Love You Man."
IX. "Gender Differences" exercise
A. Purposes
1. To illustrate gender differences in communication.
2. To elicit personal reactions from students that are relevant to Tannen's
perspective on male/female communication patterns.
B. Time required: approximately 30 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Break class into groups according to their sex (no mixed-sex groups).
Depending on the mix of your class, there may be 2 or 3 groups of one sex
and only 1 or 2 groups of the other sex (keep groups no larger than about 7
members).
2. Have each group generate a list of responses for the following
incomplete statements about the sex opposite their own (men do only
women and women do only men):
a. "When women/men talk they . . . "
b. "When women/men listen they . . . "
3. Allow about 10 minutes to generate the lists.
4. Have a representative from each group read his/her list to the class.
Discuss the results.
D. Processing the exercise:
1. Note differences in the responses from male groups and female groups.
2. Discuss why there are differences.
X. "Is It Masculine or Is It Feminine?" exercise
A. Purposes:
1. To determine whether students recognize the common gender
differences in male/female communication patterns.
2. To discuss the gender differences in communication.
B. Time required: approximately 30-45 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Pass out a copy of the questionnaire to every student in class.
2. Have each student complete the questionnaire without talking to
anyone.
D. Processing the exercise
1. When the class has completed the questionnaire, take a poll (show of
hands) on each statement ("How many say mostly masculine?" How
many say mostly feminine?"), and record the results on the board.
2. Take each statement, one at a time. Ask class members why they
think each behavior is either masculine or feminine. Then reveal
the correct answer according to the research. Provide an explanation.
Indicate whether the behavior seems more typically masculine (M) or feminine (F).
_____ 1. Interrupt conversations to gain conversational control.
_____ 2. Take up more space in sitting and standing regardless of physical
size.
_____ 3. Talkative in mixed-sex conversations.
_____ 4. Tell jokes.
_____ 5. Engage in "troubles talk" (talk about personal problems).
_____ 6. Give "minimum response cues," such as, "yeah" or "nope" without
elaboration when asked questions during conversation.
_____ 7. Engage in self-disclosure.
_____ 8. Give advice.
_____ 9. Use greater volume and stronger inflection to highlight ideas.
_____ 10. Switch or reroute the topic of conversation in mixed-sex groups.
_____ 11. Tell secrets.
_____ 12. Make statements, such as, "Oh, you must feel terrible."
_____ 13. Make statements, such as, "I kind of feel you may be overreacting."
_____ 14. Tell stories about themselves instead of about other people.
_____ 15. Tell stories about themselves that make them look foolish.
_____ 16. Ask for directions when lost.
_____ 17. Challenge the point of view of an expert in a public forum.
_____ 18. Use slang and verbal obscenity.
_____ 19. Listen intently.
_____ 20. Apologize; say "I'm sorry."
ANSWERS: (see text for supporting evidence; Leaper & Ayres (2007); Wood, J. (2007).
A. Purpose:
1. Ice-breaker.
2. To get students acquainted with several other classmates (helps them
make informed choices when they form term groups).
3. To make some rudimentary points on the relationship between first
impressions and limited information (nonverbal in this case).
B. Time required: about 35 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Have students form pairs (dyads). If there is an odd number of
students, the instructor may form a pair with a student or there can
be one threesome (triad).
2. Students in each pair will write down whether they think they are
similar to or different from their partners in the following areas:
a. Politics (same or different political party or interest in politics)
b. Education (aspirations and goals)
c. Religion (strong religious affiliation or weak to non-existent)
d. Social interests (party animal or stay-at-home with the remote
control type)
e. Geographic home (midwest, southwest, east, etc.)
3. NOTE: Students do not talk to each other until they have finished the above.
4. Have students discuss their guesses with their partner and find out how
accurate they were, and what information they used to make their guesses.
5. After about 5 minutes, have students form new pairs and repeat the
same procedure.
6. In 30 minutes students should be able to form about 5 pairs.
II. “Find the Missing Person” exercise (find a class member that fits each of 10
categories)
A. Purpose:
1. Ice-breaker.
2. To get students acquainted with several other classmates (helps them
make informed choice when they form term groups).
B. Time required: about 15 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Distribute the sheet with instructions to all students.
2. Signal for students to begin the task.
THE SHEET
INSTRUCTIONS: Move around the classroom and try to find someone who matches
each of the listed descriptions below. Check off each listed item as you find the person
who is a match. Write down the name of that person on this sheet. Use only ONE person
per listed item—no duplicates.
1. An individual older than 25
2. A Democrat
3. A Republican
4. Someone who voted in the last national election
5. Someone who did NOT vote in the last national election
6. An individual who has attended this college for longer than 2 years
7. Someone who does not own a car
8. A vegetarian
9. An individual on an athletic team at this college
10. An individual who has lived in local county longer than 5 years
D. Processing the exercise
1. Ask which items were most difficult.
2. Ask which items were easiest
3. Ask for explanations
4. Note that this activity assists students in determining with whom they might
like to form a group for future class activities.
5. Simple points on first impressions can also be noted
III. Return to Paradise ethics activity
A. Purpose: to provide a robust discussion of ethical communication
B. Time required: one to two class periods (depending on length of movie version
provided)
C. Instructions: Have the class watch “Return to Paradise,” a gripping film about a
horrendous ethical dilemma. The Vince Vaughan character is particularly
effective.
This is a fairly lengthy film. An edited version can be made to shorten the length
without diluting the impact and harming the activity (choose only certain scenes
from the DVD menu; skip the entire first part of the movie and merely
summarize it to the class before showing excerpts of the film).
1. Break class into small groups (4-6).
2. Briefly discuss the 5 criteria for ethical communication presented in Chapter
One
3. Have all groups discuss the movie in terms of these 5 standards, citing
numerous examples from the movie to support the ethical or unethical
behavior of characters
D. Processing
1. Have each group report results of their discussions
2. Make points about ethical communication and the dilemmas we often face.
Discuss “no absolute rules” of ethical communication issue
IV. The Joy Luck Club movie excerpt.
A. Show excerpt about a third of the way into the movie. The clip begins with
Waverly, a young Asian woman bringing her boyfriend, Rich, to her parents’
house for dinner. End the clip about 4 minutes later with Waverly and Rich in
their car driving home.
B. This clip shows intercultural miscommunication resulting from the individualism-
collectivism dimension. Rich is direct in his communication, sometimes too direct
for a collectivist Asian family. His individualism shows starkly. Rich looks
“selfish” and Me-oriented (individualistic) when he pours himself a second glass of
wine before anyone else has done more than take a first sip. He serves himself an
overly generous portion of a main course before others have sampled the dish,
creating disapproval and disharmony at the dinner table. Rich unintentionally
insults the mother’s cooking producing horror from the assembled group. When he
pours soy sauce on the mother’s culinary masterpiece he tries to “fix” a problem
that doesn’t exist–a typical “take matters into your own hands” individualistic
approach. He never asks anyone at the table whether they want soy sauce dumped
on the dish. All of these mistakes occur because Rich operates from a typical
American perspective of individualism, yet he is a guest in a collectivist household
governed by a strong desire for harmony and a We-orientation.
V. Excerpt from movie, Mystic Pizza
A. Show the segment where Julia Roberts’ character, Daisy, has dinner with her
boyfriend, Charley’s rich family and her boyfriend destroys the evening. End the
segment with the scene where Daisy says she wants to go home.
B. Discuss this excerpt with the class in terms of transactional communication and
especially the communication competence model:
1. We-not-Me orientation–the boyfriend disrupts dinner to make an
inappropriate point.
2. Sensitivity–the boyfriend shows no sensitivity to his date who feels awkward
from the outset, nor to the dinner guests who are visibly embarrassed by the
verbal boxing match between father and son. The server, Teresa, also
exhibits insensitivity to her friend, Daisy (Julia Roberts).
3. Appropriateness–Teresa shows inappropriateness when she begins
conversing with Daisy about her job in the pizza parlor (she is supposed to
serve the food not become one of the dinner guests); the aunt makes a
bigoted comment; the father and son air their dirty laundry during dinner and
in front of guests; nothing the boyfriend does is appropriate from start to
finish.
4. Knowledge without skill–the father tries to smooth over an awkward situation
when it is revealed that Daisy is a waitress at a pizza parlor. Father's
comment, however, comes across as lame attempt. He knows what should be
done but not how to do it gracefully. The mother likewise comes across as
patronizing.
VI. Excerpt of movie Home for the Holidays
A. Begin the clip about 30 minutes into the movie, a Thanksgiving dinner disaster.
Aunt Glad (Geraldine Chaplin) is singing. Soon she says, “You’re the best thing
on two legs, Henry Lawson.” End the clip when the Holly Hunter character
follows her mother out of the room.
B. Almost every standard of competent communication is violated during the
dinner. Family members exhibit a pronounced Me-orientation, spilling family
secrets, embarrassing each other. There are frequent interruptions, ridicule, and
venting of anger. Appropriateness is a central concern throughout. Aunt Glad is
clearly inappropriate, but she can be forgiven some because she is rather daffy.
Others cannot be excused so easily. Foul language, coarse jokes, and abuse
abound. There is a stunning lack of sensitivity exhibited by most combatants.
Communication is clumsy and boorish.
VII. Hindsight Bias Test
A. Have students complete the Hindsight Test (page of the text) in advance of
the class, or have the students take the exam in class on the first day (presumably
before they have checked the answers at the end of Chapter One of the text).
Display the test questions. Ask for a show of hands for how many students
scored As, Bs, Cs, etc. Indicate before the show of hands that there is no disgrace
in doing poorly on an exam before the text/class material has been covered.
You’re just making a point that “common sense” or personal experience alone is
often a poor guide for communication competence. If a few students do well,
simply note that this hindsight test is the easiest exam of the term because no
questions on technical definitions and conceptual knowledge are asked. All
questions are “general knowledge”. Students are also not asked to explain any of
their answers so guessing could account for good scores (or someone from a
previous class could have told them the correct answers). DO NOT EXPLAIN
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS. Simply defer such discussion until the
appropriate chapter material is covered during the term (coming attractions).
B. SCORING THE TEST:
Hindsight Bias Test Answers: All false except #14.
To determine your grade, deduct 2 points for each incorrect answer. Total possible
points = 30. Your grade is calculated by subtracting the sum of all points deducted
for wrong answers from 30 possible points, then dividing that number by 30. For
example, five incorrect answers result in a 10-point deduction. Subtracting that 10-
point deduction from 30 equals 20 points. Your 20 points divided by 30 equals
67%.
15 QUESTIONS x 2 points apiece: Maximum 30 points:
27-30 = A
24-26 = B
21-23 = C
18-20 = D
Below 18 = F
VIII. Excerpt from movie, Sleepless in Seattle
A. Show brief 5-minute clip from the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Clip begins about
two-thirds of the way into the movie when Sam (Tom Hanks) is having dinner
with his sister (Rita Wilson) and his brother-in-law. Begin the scene when his
sister says, “You saw her in the airport and then here?” End the clip when the
brother-in-law says, “Oh God, I love that movie.”
B. This scene makes the point that men and women do not communicate in exactly
the same ways, nor appreciate the same things. The comparison of the movie An
Affair to Remember and The Dirty Dozen discussed in this scene, with very
different male-female responses, is very funny. It makes a nice lead-in to
either of the gender differences exercises below.
C. Additional clips making similar points about gender differences in
communication can be shown from: Story of Us (scene in which Rita Wilson
freaks out about the toilet paper roll with the memorable line, “Does he not see it;
does he NOT SEE IT!”; or scene from When Harry Met Sally in which Billy
Crystal character says to Meg Ryan character that “men and women can never be
just friends”; or scene from Birdcage where Robin Williams character tries to
teach Nathan Lane character how to walk and act “like a man” illustrating
exaggerated stereotypes of male nonverbal and verbal communication; or several
scenes (take your pick) from The 40 Year Old Virgin or "I Love You Man."
IX. "Gender Differences" exercise
A. Purposes
1. To illustrate gender differences in communication.
2. To elicit personal reactions from students that are relevant to Tannen's
perspective on male/female communication patterns.
B. Time required: approximately 30 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Break class into groups according to their sex (no mixed-sex groups).
Depending on the mix of your class, there may be 2 or 3 groups of one sex
and only 1 or 2 groups of the other sex (keep groups no larger than about 7
members).
2. Have each group generate a list of responses for the following
incomplete statements about the sex opposite their own (men do only
women and women do only men):
a. "When women/men talk they . . . "
b. "When women/men listen they . . . "
3. Allow about 10 minutes to generate the lists.
4. Have a representative from each group read his/her list to the class.
Discuss the results.
D. Processing the exercise:
1. Note differences in the responses from male groups and female groups.
2. Discuss why there are differences.
X. "Is It Masculine or Is It Feminine?" exercise
A. Purposes:
1. To determine whether students recognize the common gender
differences in male/female communication patterns.
2. To discuss the gender differences in communication.
B. Time required: approximately 30-45 minutes
C. Instructions:
1. Pass out a copy of the questionnaire to every student in class.
2. Have each student complete the questionnaire without talking to
anyone.
D. Processing the exercise
1. When the class has completed the questionnaire, take a poll (show of
hands) on each statement ("How many say mostly masculine?" How
many say mostly feminine?"), and record the results on the board.
2. Take each statement, one at a time. Ask class members why they
think each behavior is either masculine or feminine. Then reveal
the correct answer according to the research. Provide an explanation.
Indicate whether the behavior seems more typically masculine (M) or feminine (F).
_____ 1. Interrupt conversations to gain conversational control.
_____ 2. Take up more space in sitting and standing regardless of physical
size.
_____ 3. Talkative in mixed-sex conversations.
_____ 4. Tell jokes.
_____ 5. Engage in "troubles talk" (talk about personal problems).
_____ 6. Give "minimum response cues," such as, "yeah" or "nope" without
elaboration when asked questions during conversation.
_____ 7. Engage in self-disclosure.
_____ 8. Give advice.
_____ 9. Use greater volume and stronger inflection to highlight ideas.
_____ 10. Switch or reroute the topic of conversation in mixed-sex groups.
_____ 11. Tell secrets.
_____ 12. Make statements, such as, "Oh, you must feel terrible."
_____ 13. Make statements, such as, "I kind of feel you may be overreacting."
_____ 14. Tell stories about themselves instead of about other people.
_____ 15. Tell stories about themselves that make them look foolish.
_____ 16. Ask for directions when lost.
_____ 17. Challenge the point of view of an expert in a public forum.
_____ 18. Use slang and verbal obscenity.
_____ 19. Listen intently.
_____ 20. Apologize; say "I'm sorry."
ANSWERS: (see text for supporting evidence; Leaper & Ayres (2007); Wood, J. (2007).
