COMMUNICATION

Allyson Turrentine
SPED 854
Verbal Communication
Channels
Selecting the appropriate channel, or mode of communication, when having an interaction is
important. It can affect the message that is being conveyed. We need to be mindful on who are
audience is, the sensitivity/confidentiality of the message, the urgency of the message and the
reply time, and many others.

Tone and Wording Types of Channels

■ Email
It is important for us to remember
that our words and how we say them ■ Text Message
are important. ■ Phone
■ Notes
■ TV/Radio
■ Face-To-Face
Nonverbal Communication
Body Language Spatial Relations
This is what your actions tell others This is the space between you and the person you are
about how you are feeling. Some interacting with. How close or how far away we are from a
common examples are crossing arms, person tells them how we are feeling about the interaction.
eye contact, or smiling. Sometimes we Different distances are appropriate depending on the
can forget that others can read our interaction you are having.
body language easily, and being
mindful of this is important. We want
others to feel like we value our
conversations with them!
With Parents

Empathy goes a long way

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling
with the heart of another.”
Alfred Adler
With Colleagues
Sources

■ Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2017). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals.
Boston, MA: Pearson (Chapters 2, 3, and 4)