The various concepts of verbal and nonverbal communication learned can be used to improve the psychology class. It is hard for the student to concentrate or learn effectively during the psychology class because the instructor relies only on lecturing. There is minimal movement, the tone is monotonous, and no use of audio-visual aids. As a result, most students do not pay attention throughout the class while others dread attending that class. Incorporating various verbal and nonverbal concepts can help in making the class more engaging and interesting for the students. There is also a higher chance of the students learning more and becoming more competent as a result of the communication improvement in the psychology class. It is not just the instructor who needs to improve the communication approach to make the class more productive. The students also need to be responsive to motivate the speaker to deliver more.
The concepts that will be used to improve the communication in class include working on the facial expressions, the tone of the voice of the lecture, and the gestures and postures used. There are three components to effective communication. These included the creator of the communication, the receiver of the message, and the content of the message. The verbal and nonverbal concepts mentioned are intended to improve three components of communication during the class.
Facial Expressions
When meeting a person for the first time, one notices the face the most. The face can give a lot of information regarding the emotional disposition of a person. When communicating with a person, one also passes on emotional cues which inform the response of the receiver of the message. The face is a major conduit for passing on these emotional cues. This fact makes face to face communication more effective than other means of communication where one cannot discern the facial expressions of the other person (Chinn). One of the ways in which the instructor can improve communication with the students is to maintain eye contact when talking to them. As it is not possible to look at all the students at the same time, he should divide the audience into three segments. The segments should be right, center and left. Having done that, he should look at each of the segments periodically to make all the students feel involved in the class. The time spent looking at the notes should be minimal
The instructor should let the students know and feel the depth of the materials taught by his facial expressions. Some portions of the material taught are humorous, while others are serious. This should be reflected in his facial expressions, especially when emphasizing on some aspects of the subject. The students, on the other hand, have a role to play in making the class more interesting. They should maintain eye contact with the instructor to encourage him to continue with the class. Further, they should not look distracted or discuss amongst themselves. Giving the instructor positive feedback will encourage him to pass on essential knowledge to the students. Working on the facial expressions of both the originator and receiver of the message will make the class more interactive and interesting.
Voice Tone
The tone of the voice matters in communication as much as the words spoken. If the tone used and the words used are incongruent, then the listener is either confused or puts more weight on the intonation part (Chinn). The professor is supposed to adopt a tone that is friendly and sincere to win the attention of the students. The use of positive language will also come in handy during the psychology class. Instead of just using a monotone during the lecture, the professor should try to use inflection naturally to keep the students listening and engaged in class. The natural rise and fall in the tone of the voice of the professor will keep the lecture friendly and casual. This nature of interaction will elicit input from the students who would want further explanations on the learned content.
Posture and gestures
The posture adopted by a speaker can be used to derive conclusions regarding his or her confidence in the subject of discussion. It can make the listener to either pay attention or distrust the speaker. If the professor has not been having the right posture or using the right gestures, then that might have contributed to the students losing interest in what he has to say in class. This tends to happen involuntarily and is not easy to fake (Chinn). Lame postures such as pocketing or leaning on the podium during the lecture do not inspire any confidence in the listeners. The professor should adopt an upright and authoritative posture to signal that he is sure about the content he is passing on to the students. With regards to gestures, the professor should be careful not to make mechanical gestures with the hands and just let them flow naturally. Not giving attention to the position of the hand and enjoying the teaching experience will make it easier to apply the gestures effectively.
Conclusion
The three concepts that can be used to improve the psychology class include the modification of the facial expressions, tone, posture and the use of gestures. The application of the mentioned techniques will assist in making the class interesting and avoid instances of boredom for the students. More content will be retained in the minds of the students, thanks to the dramatic effect of these interventions in the class.
Work Cited
Chinn, Brecken. Communicating Well: A Fundamental Toolkit. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA: Cognella, 2018. Print.