The Benefits of Applying Interpersonal Communication Skills to the Discipline of Education
Society is a never-ending black hole of growth, with the continual expansion of our society the skill of communication has become vital in not only individuals, but also corporations, organisations and institutions. This skill and the sub-skills of listening, feedback and questioning has become essential and beneficial within specific fields or disciplines in order for them to excel. To be proficient within schools the use of interpersonal communication skills is essential, particularly the skills of listening, feedback and questioning as they are only beneficial when delivered correctly within the discipline of education. The role and responsibility of a teacher is to influence, persuade, network, lead and motivate not only students but the whole school community, and in order to be successful within this role, the delivery of interpersonal communication skills correctly is crucial. By understanding active listening, questioning, and giving and receiving feedback, and how they apply within the discipline of education will show how they become the most pivotal communication skills required within the field and why there are many benefits when they are applied correctly.
Listening is perceived as a simple skill by many, where it is defined as individuals decoding and interpreting sounds, however the skill is majorly complexed and is a crucial part within individuals lives. It is a crucial part in groups where cooperative relationships are developed, the culture is developed in friendships, and also literacy skill and talent for speaking is developed all from the communication skill of listening. Communication skills are skills which must be taught and practiced—listening is one of these crucial skills which is largely important in an individual’s day-to-day life. The reason why listening is so important, is due to it allowing people to understand the full picture, where it not only allows us to hear other views, engage and interact in a two-way conversation with another person but also to observe nonverbal behaviours. Within the education realm listening is a skill which is vital within all aspects, particularly in the students. It contributes to the skills of students, the improvement and development of their self-confidence, knowledge and achievements.
Teachers generally assume students know how to listen which is why they typically use an auditory method, and with listening skills being imperative to reading comprehension it can sometimes have a negative impact within the discipline of education. Listening is a difficult skill for students to improve on, without applying the skill of listening within classrooms it has been discovered that there are multiple problems which arise. Students are seen to have problems with comprehension as they have a poor background knowledge to be able to apply strategies to overcome them, and it is seen that problems arise within their speech segmentation and their ability to become familiar and recognise certain vocabulary. Not only is it beneficial to include this skill within education, particularly the classroom, it is mandatory that it is taught to students as it is a fundamental part of their learning. It is vital to apply several communication skills within the field of teaching particularly the sub-skill of feedback.
The skill of feedback is thought and said to be a small notion in comparison to the other two skills, however it is the underpinning skill within the discipline of education as it creates exceptional collaborative results regarding student’s growth. Feedback entails communication between individuals where they work towards future accomplishments, but is also given by one person to another where they support, critique and offer advice. Eunson describes in his book how feedback can be effective when delivered correctly, but it can also be delivered ineffectively which is why this skill has become a touchy subject and can cause people to become apprehensive.
Similar dynamics from giving and receiving feedback, can be seen in both the communication skills of listening and question, which is why all these skills play vitals role in the discipline of education. Being able to inhabit and project interpersonal communication skills as a teacher is essential; feedback goes hand-in-hand with learning, whether it be young people’s learning, teacher’s learning, or even organisational learning. An organisation which is unpleasant, unsupportable, uncontrollable is an organisation without a system of feedback, which is why is it important and beneficial for the discipline education to depend, rely and expand on feedback and its systems. Feedback is an important skill to possess within an organisation, however questioning is also a vital skill to be applied.
A conversation without questions can become quite difficult as questions are the backbone of most encounters between people. Questioning is a fundamental part of communication and can be defined as information seeking and is a communicated desire for further information. Information seeking is found in all social interactions whether it be in between children, adolescents or adults as it is envelops several themes—problem solving, learning, decision making. However, questioning someone and their idea can be regarded as being affront in some instances which is why the skill of questioning can create a defensive response. Asking questions for children can be quite rewarding and can play a crucial role in their learning and maturation process. For this reason, it shows how applying the skill of questioning—the purpose of extracting information and receiving suitable justifications—within in the field of teaching is beneficial, as the classroom is centred around students seeking information and asking teachers questions. Teachers want to engender the skill of questioning within students, in order for them to become critical thinkers.
Being a critical thinker can help a student excel in their schooling career, and therefore shows that by applying this particular skill of communication within education is a must as it is only beneficial for teachers, students and the organisation. One of the key skills which is essential in order to be a proficient teaching is questioning, particularly oral. Borich & Lorber both documented within their research that questioning within the discipline of education has the ability to secure students attention, increase their motivation, promote thinking, enhance their creativity, increase their involvement and it also benefits the teacher by gaining more control of the classroom.
It is clear that from exploring the interpersonal communication skills of listening, feedback and questioning that to be proficient within schools by applying these skills they are only beneficial within the discipline of education as they play a crucial role throughout the whole realm. There would certain ramifications which would result if these skills were not thought to be important, without a doubt, all three skills incorporate separate benefits and must be applied within the discipline of education as they allow teachers to successfully complete role and responsibility to a sufficient standard.
