Improving Communication Skills in the Virtual World

By Kelly Crooks, English Teacher

In today’s digital world of text-messaging, chatting, hashtagging, and online schooling, many fear the loss of communication skills and the ability to improve those skills. The fear that young people’s communication skills will suffer in both their social and professional lives is heaviest among educators and parents, but is this fear legitimate? Do young people’s communication proficiencies suffer because they live in a virtual world? Does “digital” mean lack of proper speaking and writing?

No matter the mindset of educators, parents, or older generations, “digital” or “virtual” does not have to suggest poor communication; in fact, many researchers would argue that there are no discrepancies at all between communication skills in the digital world and the in-person world. 

An article by Drew Hendricks posted on Out Reach claims that strong communication skills are vital in both environments, and that solid communication is important for building strong personal and professional relationships either digitally or in person.  Hendricks also points out:  “We’re at a strange crossroads where physical and digital communications converge . . . how do they interact with each other?”  Even though much communication has become virtual, it is possible to use those same communication standards in the digital world as we do in the physical world. Communication does not have to suffer now that it has gone viral. 

People can continue to practice good communication in any environment, but are we prepared to effectively engage and converse with people in the digital world and keep our communication skills on point?  The following are suggestions for improving communications skills in the virtual world:


Social Media

First, use social media! That’s right,  if you’re looking to improve your writing and expressional talents, then use Facebook, Twitter, and  Instagram more often! These are just a few of the social media outlets where people can express themselves, write, and converse with society. If you’re going to use them, though, be sure to use them properly! Standard English only please!

Text Messaging

Next up, text! Text messaging provides individuals with the opportunity to practice his or her writing skills. Texting has become second nature to most, but simple daily messaging is actually helping people improve their communications abilities. It should be noted that communication will only become stronger if proper English is used!

Video Calling

Live Learning sessions at Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School, web conferences, Google Hangouts, Skype, Facetime, and so on are excellent tools to use to practice using strong communication skills. There are hundreds of digital tools that allow people to connect from all over the globe - take advantage! Video calling advances your communication skills and self confidence, and it can help you become a better presenter as well.   Whether it’s your parents using video chat from work, a class at school, or a friend using Hangouts in a different country, video conference as much as you can!

Phone Calls

Don’t forget about old-fashioned phone calling either! Even though it has become the least popular function to use on smartphones, phone calling your family and friends does enhance your communication skills. Chatting with your voice helps you to become a stronger speaker, it increases your self-confidence, and improves your storytelling techniques. When it comes to communication, phone calls should never go out of style!

Writing

When possible, write! Writing is a creative outlet that not only is known to reduce stress, but also improves ALL communication skills. Writing is directly related to speaking, so enhancing your writing skills will advance all of your communication skills. How you write, what you write, or the program you use to write does not matter; the only thing that matters is remembering to write in this virtual world.  Whether it’s blogging, journaling, using Google Docs or Microsoft Word for essays and poetry, or some other program, find your comfort zone and write away!

Giving Presentations

Finally, take advantage of giving presentations as much as you can. There is no better way to become a confident communicator than giving a presentation. Formal or informal presentations on topics you enjoy enhance your communication skills because you can practice eye contact, voice inflections, non-verbal gestures,  and speaking properly. Take advantage of any opportunity you have at giving a virtual presentation! Do you have a fear of speaking to groups of people? No problem! Video yourself giving a presentation.


Now that you are on your way to improving your communication skills in this digital world, there is one last thing to keep in mind: always stay in touch! Communication abilities can be only be hindered in the digital world if they are not used. Be creative, and find what works best for you!


Works Cited:

Hendricks, Drew. "How to Improve Communication Skills in a Digital World." 

UVM Continuing and Distance Education. UVM Out Reach, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.    

<https://learn.uvm.edu/blog-business/improve-communication-skills>

Writing Feedback that Cultivates Growth

by Hannah Lewis, High School English Teacher

In Virginia Woolf’s masterful and strange Orlando: A Biography, Orlando begins writing a long poem, “The Oak Tree,” when she is a young attendant on Queen Elizabeth I. She continues to work on it over the course of her 300+ year life, constantly revising, changing it, transforming it into something new. By the end of the novel, she plans to bury the poem under the oak tree of her youth that inspired the poem. That way, it can continue to transform and grow after she has passed away. 

An old adage says that “a poem is never finished; only abandoned.” I prefer to say that a piece of writing is never finished, only ready--to send, to publish, or to turn in! And while publishing a poem or turning in an essay for an English class might be a form of abandonment, it should also be an opportunity for that piece of writing--and the writer who created it--to go on growing like that centuries-old oak tree.

Why, then, do we English teachers so often assign numerical grades to a piece of student writing, then abandon it, along with its writer? 

There are decades of research that have firmly established that writing is a process. This may not come as news to any of us adults who have agonized about how exactly to word that email to our boss, that resignation letter, that message to a state representative. I suspect it isn’t really news to students, either, who agonize over how to word that text message to a crush or that comment on a friend’s Instagram photo. 

If we know, in the real world, that our writing doesn’t come out perfect the first time we write it, why does it often seem that school assignments expect students to get it right the first time? Or imply that there’s a right way of writing to begin with? If students are consulting their friends about how to craft that perfect text message, why aren’t they looking for feedback about how to craft that perfect thesis statement?

Part of the answer is student engagement, of course. The stakes seem a lot higher to a 14-year-old if her text message comes across wrong than if her “thesis statement”--whatever that is--isn’t quite right.

A more important part of the answer is the way we train students to write for school based on the type of feedback they receive on their writing. 

A student typically gets two pieces of feedback on her or his writing for school. First, she will get a letter grade, which seems awfully final and finished. Then, she might get some explanation of her mistakes. This feedback might include explanations about comma splices, inappropriate capitalization, or passive voice. Errors. Detractions from an otherwise seemingly “right” or “whole” or “perfect” piece of writing. 

This type of feedback provides students with two misconceptions about writing. First, we are saying that they are done with that piece of writing--their cue to abandon it. We are also saying that their “grade” reflects “deficits” from some kind of perfect whole--also, obviously, not true!

Of course, we cannot escape the necessities of applying a letter grade to student work. But we can and should change the way we approach student writing and the kinds of feedback we provide. If we want to convey to students that writing is a process, we must give them feedback beyond the kind that implies there are rules to writing that students are breaking, and that following those rules creates perfect writing.

When giving feedback both on rough drafts and on “final copies,” I try to use the following techniques:

Respond with Genuine Reader’s Questions

Amy, what do you mean by this sentence? Or Mark, I’m not sure who “you” is here--can you be a little bit clearer? These questions should come from a genuine reader’s response to the student’s writing, not a teacher-grader hunting for errors to deduct points. Often, I leave these kinds of comments using Google Doc’s “commenting” and “suggesting” features, and students will actually reply to my comments/questions, even if they were a part of the student’s final draft. They are still thinking about their writing, even after conventional wisdom tells them to abandon it.

Model Revision and Make Connections

Students need to know that Virginia Woolf and William Shakespeare and Ms. Lewis all write, re-write, abandon, start fresh, and constantly revise their writing. They need to be made to see that they do, too! Talking to students about their own literacy practices outside of school, as well as sharing my own, hopefully demonstrates to students that writing IS re-writing, and that writing is personal, organic, and messy!

Make Time for Revision

Students cannot appropriately revise based on teacher’s growth-oriented inquiry-based feedback in one day, or a few hours. If we are just giving them pointers about editing (e. g.: capitalize i,move the thesis statement from there to here, get rid of “you” and passive voice), that kind of a time frame for revision would be appropriate. If our feedback is genuine, students will need time to think about it, to play around with alternative ways of wording sentences, and to ask questions. 

Note: This one isn’t easy! It means a very quick turn-around time from when students submit drafts to when they get teacher feedback! There are ways to reduce the workload and turnaround time, but that’s a topic for another day.

Make Revision an Expectation for EVERY Writer

Every student needs to revise. If Virginia Woolf needs to revise, then a 15-year-old honors student is no exception! No piece of writing is perfect, and revision must be an expectation for all students. Otherwise, we are communicating to students that, actually, writing is about following rules and getting it “right.” We do a disservice to struggling and strong writers when we tell strong writers that their writing is “good enough” and doesn’t need to be revised. 

Ultimately, school writing is about learning how to do real-world writing better, and creating the illusion that there are specific rules to follow to create “right” writing in school separates school writing from the messy writing process of real life. 

Maybe most acorns don’t become trees, but when teachers give students feedback that cultivates growth we ensure that those germs that have the potential to grow aren’t abandoned prematurely. The most perfect acorn is still not a tree, and an imperfect seed may still sprout. Our job is to teach students that the acorn isn’t the tree, but that, with some sun, soil, and water, it can be. 

Photographs courtesy of Pixabay. 

Establishing a Human Connection in a Digital World

by Katie Devlin, Secondary Social Studies Teacher

When I first became an online teacher three years ago, I felt as if I needed to adapt and acquaint myself with a brand new world. However, I knew that I still needed to present myself as the teacher that I knew I was; someone who was dedicated to her students and school and who really wanted her kids to succeed and do well. In a cyber world, the computer is both a gift and a curse. It enables us to create lessons that are interactive and at the cutting edge of technology. However, it can be so hard to maintain that human connection in our digital world. As a fairly new educator who is currently in the midst of her fourth year teaching, I have found that connection is key to fostering student success. Here are some of the tenets of online teaching that I try to integrate into my daily practices as an online educator:

1. Embrace your humanity! As I often stress to my students, we are all human. This means that mistakes will happen, as well as amazing successes in the school environment. In my live classes, I use my webcam so my students are aware of what I look like and see my smile as they enter my online classroom. When I create videos for courses, I use my camera so my students see that I am putting time and effort into crafting a (hopefully) great lesson for them. If I make a mistake, I acknowledge it and move forward; modeling to students that we can all overcome our missteps in the online world. Keeping a human element in an online world can foster connections.
2. Make it a community! Throughout my years as an online teacher, I have stressed to many students that this is a community of learners, not just a teacher and students. I also use online mediums such as Twitter and Instagram to follow educators that inspire me. One of the things that has stood out most to me in the past year is that teachers also need to assume the role of learner in the classroom. If we aren’t willing to accept changes, we won’t move forward in an ever-changing society! In my courses, I offer students the chance to offer feedback on lessons. Many students can be timid, so I stress to them that all feedback is valued and appreciated, even negative feedback. By showing students that they have a valued voice in the classroom and can indeed “teach the teacher”, a community is formed where everyone is valued.
3. Keep in communication! The hardest part about working in an online environment is communication. Many students who come to our school are extremely shy and mentioned that they “don’t like talking”. This means that self-advocacy skills are often lacking. I’ve tried to diversify my means of communication with students at our school. This means that I text students, email them, use gchat as a communication means, and use the phone to contact. While a student may be shy on the phone, they could be comfortable expressing themselves in a different manner. I’ve also found it important to ask students about their lives as well as how school is going. In the past, I have done check in emails that ended with a fun question instead of asking about their grades. The insight I gained into the lives of my students was powerful and helped the human connection grow in our digital environment.

Although this list is short, there are many different ways to foster the human connection in our digital world. How do you do so? I’d love to see your feedback in the comments section below!