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Building Bridges: Communication Skills Workshop

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Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan

Students will develop core communication skills—active listening, empathy, and clear expression—through guided discussion and role-play, enabling them to build stronger peer connections.

Strong communication skills foster trust, collaboration, and emotional support among peers, improving both academic teamwork and personal relationships.

Audience

Grades 9-12

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, modeling, role-play, and reflection

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up and Essential Questions

10 minutes

  • Pose the essential question on the board: What makes a conversation effective?
  • Ask students to spend 2 minutes writing their thoughts.
  • Conduct a think-pair-share: students discuss in pairs for 3 minutes and then volunteers share key ideas.
  • Record responses on the whiteboard under headings: Active Listening, Empathy, Clear Expression.
  • Differentiation: Provide sentence stems (e.g., “An effective conversation feels…”) to support EL learners.

Step 2

Direct Instruction and Modeling

15 minutes

  • Advance slides to define each skill:
    • Active Listening: Full attention, paraphrasing, nonverbal cues.
    • Empathy: Understanding feelings, validating perspectives.
    • Clear Expression: Organizing thoughts, using “I” statements.
  • Model an active-listening exchange with a volunteer:
    • Speaker shares a brief story.
    • Listener paraphrases and asks a follow-up question.
  • Highlight effective phrases on the slide.
  • Differentiation: Display key terms visually and provide printed definitions for students who need extra language support.

Step 3

Guided Role-Play Activity

20 minutes

  • Divide students into pairs.
  • Distribute one set of Active Listening Role-Play Cards per pair and a Peer Feedback Worksheet to each student.
  • Explain: One student speaks for 2 minutes on the scenario; the partner practices active listening and then uses the worksheet to note strengths and suggestions.
  • After each round, partners switch roles.
  • Circulate to observe, prompt deeper empathy questions, and support clear expression.
  • Differentiation: Pair stronger and emerging speakers strategically; allow extra processing time for introductions if needed.

Step 4

Reflection and Assessment

15 minutes

  • Reconvene as a whole group.
  • Ask:
    1. How did it feel to be actively listened to?
    2. What empathy strategies resonated most?
  • Record key takeaways on the whiteboard.
  • Have students complete a 1-minute written reflection: One communication skill I’ll use this week and why.
  • Collect Peer Feedback Worksheets and reflections to assess understanding and identify students who need further support.
  • Differentiation: Offer the option to record reflections verbally for students with writing challenges.
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Slide Deck

Building Bridges: Communication Skills Workshop

Facilitated for Grades 9–12

Enhancing peer relationships through Active Listening, Empathy, and Clear Expression.

Background: Apply gradient from #FFD966 to #FFF49C.
Introduce the workshop title, purpose, and set the tone. Greet students and outline today's flow.

Essential Question

What makes a conversation effective?

Introduce the essential question. Facilitate think-pair-share. Capture key student responses on whiteboard.

Learning Objectives

• Practice Active Listening: full attention, paraphrasing, nonverbal cues
• Demonstrate Empathy: understanding and validating feelings
• Express Thoughts Clearly: organized ideas, “I” statements

Explain the objectives. Reference slide deck instruction. Encourage students to track progress.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to the speaker:
• Paraphrasing what you hear
• Observing nonverbal cues
• Asking follow-up questions

Define Active Listening. Emphasize paraphrasing and nonverbal signals. Ask students for examples.

Empathy

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes:
• Recognizing emotions behind words
• Validating perspectives
• Responding with care

Define Empathy. Highlight understanding others’ feelings and perspectives. Invite students to share times they felt understood.

Clear Expression

Organizing and sharing your thoughts effectively:
• Using “I” statements (e.g., “I feel… when…”)
• Stating points clearly and concisely
• Providing examples or details

Define Clear Expression. Stress “I” statements and organized thoughts. Model a strong “I” statement.

Modeling Active Listening

Speaker: “I had a stressful morning because I missed the bus.”

Listener: “You felt stressed because you were running late, right?”
Listener asks: “What helped you calm down afterward?”

Walk through the modeling script. Invite a volunteer. Highlight paraphrasing and follow-up question.

Guided Role-Play Activity

  1. Pair up and grab your role-play cards.
  2. One student speaks for 2 minutes on the scenario.
  3. Listener practices active listening and completes feedback worksheet.
  4. Switch roles and repeat.

Explain how to set up pairs and distribute materials. Reference Active Listening Role-Play Cards and Peer Feedback Worksheet.

Reflection & Next Steps

Reflection Prompt (1 minute):
"One communication skill I’ll use this week and why..."

Next Steps:
• Review feedback with your partner
• Practice skills in daily conversations

Guide students through reflection. Collect worksheets and reflections after.

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Activity

Active Listening Role-Play Activity

Duration: 20 minutes
Materials:

Description

Students practice active listening, empathy, and clear expression by taking turns speaking and listening to realistic peer scenarios. After each turn, listeners give structured feedback.

Instructions

  1. Form pairs and decide who will speak first.
  2. Choose a scenario card or select one from the list below.
  3. Round 1:
    • Speaker talks for 2 minutes about the scenario without interruption.
    • Listener listens actively (eye contact, paraphrasing, nonverbal cues).
  4. After 2 minutes, the listener asks one clarifying question and then completes the Peer Feedback Worksheet (1 minute).
  5. Switch roles and repeat with a new scenario.
  6. Aim to complete at least two different scenarios.

Scenario Prompts

  • School Stress
    "Share a time this week when you felt overwhelmed by schoolwork. Describe what caused your stress and how you responded."



  • Friend Conflict
    "Explain an argument you recently had with a friend. Discuss what happened, how you felt, and what you wish you could have said."



  • Family Expectations
    "Talk about a family expectation that feels challenging. Describe how it affects you and what support you’d like."



  • Future Goals
    "Discuss your academic or career goals. Explain why these goals matter and any worries you have about achieving them."



Reflection Prompts (Whole-Group Debrief)

  1. As speaker, how did it feel to be fully listened to? What actions helped you feel heard?






  2. As listener, which active-listening strategy did you use most? How did it help your partner?






  3. What is one communication technique you will focus on improving this week, and why?











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Worksheet

Active Listening Role-Play Cards

(Print and cut along the lines between each card.)

Scenario: School Stress
Share a time this week when you felt overwhelmed by schoolwork. Describe what caused your stress and how you responded.

Scenario: Friend Conflict
Explain an argument you recently had with a friend. Discuss what happened, how you felt, and what you wish you could have said.

Scenario: Family Expectations
Talk about a family expectation that feels challenging. Describe how it affects you and what support you’d like.

Scenario: Future Goals
Discuss your academic or career goals. Explain why these goals matter and any worries you have about achieving them.

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Building Bridges: Communication Skills Workshop • Lenny Learning