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Dear St Anthony Families,
HELLO? IS ANYBODY THERE?///
Yes! We are here and glad to be here with you and your students. As we continue our Social Emotional Learning journey together, we are excited about our Friendzy catchphrase, Communicate to Connect. It can be tough when communication is challenging and connection with the people we care about is lost.
This Friendzy unit is all about learning how to be effective communicators, both as speakers and listeners, to grow in empathy and understanding and connect with our friends. This unit teaches students to learn to communicate effectively through speaking clearly, listening closely and asking questions to gain understanding.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?///
Learning to take responsibility for our part of the communication process, whether we are the speaker or the listener, is how we practice self-awareness and develop strong relationship skills. We communicate to connect! The following list is something to consider when we are speaking to another person.
- Ask yourself the question, “Is the way that I am communicating my message leading to a stronger connection? Or is it weakening the connection?”
- How’s my tone? Is it positive, neutral, or negative?
- What does my volume, pace, emphasis, and inflection “say” to the other person? Am I talking loudly or softly? Is the pace of my words really fast or slow and controlled? What words and phrases am I focusing on? What is that communicating? Are my questions calm and curious?
Communication behind a screen will never be as effective as a face-to-face connection. We are hard-wired for connection and it happens more effectively when we are together with others. Face-to-face communication allows the message to be more clearly channeled from the speaker to the listener. This month’s Catchphrase and Key Ideas are listed below.
CATCHPHRASE: Communicate to Connect
Key Verses (Biblical anchor points):
Proverbs 18:2 “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”
GOAL: To learn to communicate effectively through speaking clearly, listening closely and asking questions to gain understanding.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION///
> As a self-awareness practice, ask yourself, “What attitude do I have when communicating my message?” Is your body language sending the same message as your words? Is it leading to connection with others?
> Questions are powerful and lead us to greater understanding. Share about a time that someone asked you a question to strengthen your friendship.
> Reflect on a relationship that has stretched you through disagreement. Consider reaching
out and thanking that person for the gift of perspective that they bring to your life.
KEEP IT GOING///
Thank you for joining us in the Friendzy! This month we are reminding all students to Communicate to Connect through a smile, eye contact, and pauses in conversations. I would love to hear about how your family has used this information to connect as a family. Please reach out and email us to share your success with this information— We would love to celebrate with you!
With love and light.
Mrs. Schepers
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