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E-Zine Archives
Communication Skills: Leap and Bounce©
Posted on November 12, 2007 | Permalink
By: Marlene V. Obermeyer, MA, RN
Culture Advantage Cultural Training and Continuing Education
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt tongue-tied, did not have any ready response to a remark, and only later you think, "I should have said _____."
Get some of your colleagues together to improve your communication skills while doing something fun. This is great for a team-building exercise.
Number of Participants: At least six persons gathered in a circle.
- Equipment: Inflatable Ball, Poster board. Colored markers.
- Room Requirement: Away from patient areas. (This could easily become a noisy activity!)
- Rewards for winner or winners: (Your choice)
Review the following communication skills: L E A P
"L": is for Active Listening.
Description: Nodding, eye contact, attentive posture, facial expressions. It can also include encouraging comments such as "Go on … ", "Interesting!" "Hmmm … "
"E" is for Empathy.
Description: Reflection of content and feeling.
Formula 1: Restating the feeling. "That must be very frustrating for you."
Formula 2: Restating the feeling and content: You’re feeling _____ (state the feeling) because _____ (state the content).
Example: "You’re feeling frustrated because your best friend does not want to listen to your advice."
"A" is for Asking questions, and checking Assumptions.
Description: Asking: Ask open-ended questions, not answerable by yes or no.
Example: "What do you think about … ?" "What do you mean by weird?" You can also ask a question by simply repeating the statement: "You’re feeling confused?"
Clarify your assumptions by asking the other person whether your interpretation is right or wrong.
Example: "I might be wrong, but did I understand you to mean that you and your best friend are not getting along very well?"
"P" is for Paraphrasing.
Description: Restating the message in a different way, or summarizing several messages into one main message.
Example: "That does look like a lot of work for one person to do in one day!"
Instructions:
- Write the list of communication skills on the poster board. (L E A P, with a brief description of each.) Post the board so participants can see the list.
- Start with Person A with the ball and making a statement. For example, Person A says, "I can’t handle the stress anymore!"
- Person A throws the ball to Person B while calling out letter "L!"
- Person B catches the ball, and then chooses a response to the statement. ("L" is for active listening).
Example response: "Hmmmm … interesting!"
- Person B then throws the ball to Person C while calling out the letter "E".
- Person C chooses a response from the Empathy list ("That must be so discouraging!") then throws the ball to the next person while calling out the next letter "A". And so on.
- If a person cannot make up a response within 5 seconds, he/she can say "Pass" and then throws the ball to another person. After 3 "Passes" a person is "bounced" out of the game.
- After the letter ‘P" is called out and the process is completed for this letter, the last person throws the ball to another, and starts a new round. Make a new statement, call out the letter "L" and throw the ball to start a new round. For round 2, start with 2 statements; for Round 3, start with 3 statements, etc.
- Make your own rules for the winner or winners. This is a great activity for once a month meetings or team building activities. Print simple medals or certificates; for example, "LEAP and Bounce Champion of the Month" from your computer.
©Marlene V. Obermeyer, MA, RN, http://www.culture-advantage.com
Advocating cross-cultural excellence in health care.
© Mvobermeyer2007
E-Zine Archives
- Medication Mix-Up: A Case Study (August 6, 2007)
- Always, always check out your assumptions about a patient’s well-being! (August 30, 2007)
- Communication with Patients: What a New Nurse Needs to Know! (October 10, 2007)
- Communication Skills: Leap and Bounce© (November 12, 2007)
- Poverty, Powerlessness and Healthcare (February 5, 2008)
- An Unresolved Conflict affects the Team (April 26, 2008)
- The Saga of my Fractured Meta-Carpal (August 9, 2008)
- The Nursing Shortage: Focus of PBS program, NOW (October 28, 2008)
- Is Nursing Really Recession-Proof? (February 21, 2009)
- Maintaining Empathy and Boundaries for Your Patients and Yourself (April 6, 2009)
- How Well Prepared are You for the Challenges Facing Nurses in the 21st Century? (October 27, 2009)