Module 8 Assignment 3: Final Project- 5 Day Communication Training Program

Argosy University Sarasota

Dr. Richard Elliott

Daniel Downs

4/15/2011

Project Target: 5 Day Communication Program-Days 1 and 2 of Program

I will be asking my audience (school principals, department heads) how they can help

teachers and other staff and district leaders to implement the use of Project Based

Learning Curriculum techniques throughout the district. The training program will last a

total of 5 days. The introduction of key presentation materials to the target audience and

group work will be done in the first 2 days of the training. The assessment of my

participants will be based on the reflections they provide during their break out periods

and the content of their PowerPoint’s.

The target audience will be shown a PowerPoint which defines the principals of good

leadership and communication skills. This PowerPoint will incorporate the key concepts

of Senge’s Five Disciplines System Thinking ,Personal Mastery, Mental Models,

Building Shared Vision, Team Learning( Zalabak, P. S.,2006) and descriptions of the

importance of listening with leadership, team building and shared realities. The

participants will be provided definitions of the disciplines and the importance these topics

have in organizational communication and to the individual.

Day 1 & 2 Assessment: 1st Assessment: Pairing Activity

The 16 members of the training will be paired into 8 groups and given a scenario.

Each scenario will be based in major areas of communication. Each pair of individuals

will work through five different scenarios focused in the area of Project Based Learning.

The assignments are aimed at getting participants to engage eachother in the areas of

focus.

Assignments are as follows:

1.Listening:Each member must fully listen to the others vision and opinion of Project

based learning without interruption. Each must take turns while the other provides eye

contact consistently and takes notes.

2.Team Building:Working together each member.

3.Own Realities:Each person must describe their own working reality and its fertility for

introducing ProjectBased Learning. Participants must describe their ability to push the

initiative in their environment.

4.Public Speaking: At the conclusion of the activity members of the group should add

their experiences of speaking in groups and with strangers in one on one to the collected

data.

5.Verbal and Nonverbal Cues:Each group should casually observe the other groups

working on their projects. A list of verbal and non verbal clues should be made to the

attention,direction and feeling of the speakers and listeners.

The groups will reconvene into 2 groups of 8 and discuss the findings of their group

work. Each group will choose a recorder and speak to the entire group about the shared

experiences and share a powerpoint slideshow which incorporates their experiences into

the principals of leadership communication. The shared experiences will be critical to the

learning of the group as well in that each memeber should share what they liked and

disliked about each scenario. The scenarios should begin to reveal the strengths and

weaknesses of the leaders communication.

2nd Assessment

The second assessment must be done out of the program on the participants own time.

Participants will be able to choose one of the three possible communication

approaches(Functional,Meaning Centered and Emerging Perspectives). Based on their

choice of assignment and completion a strong evaluation of their communication style

can be determined.

I measure the interpersonal communication skills of the participants by giving them a

choice of assignment. Choosing from one of the three types of communication

approaches participants must do an evaluation of the methods that participants could use

in their organizations as rubric for understanding their approaches and styles.

Their first choice is the Functional Approach“The functional approach describes what

messages do and the path through the organization. This approach describes

organizations based on the degree to which their communication systems are open or

closed. The functional approach classifies messages based on organizing messages,

relationship messages, and change messages. The decision making process can be

positively or negatively influenced by the number of messages moving through a

communication system and by the number of ways that messages are distorted.”(

Argosy,2011)

I will be giving the participants an assignment to present the foundations of Project

Based Learning and to gather the opinions and known knowledge of teachers and faculty.

The participants from my training must form committees,send emails and communicate

directly with those they comes into contact with.

To assess the participants in the training program each member will have to come

back to the training meeting and present the methods at which he or she presented the

topics to their school and how they developed awareness for the new intiative.

The next approach participants will have an opportunity to choose will be the Meaning

Centere Approach. ”The meaning-centered approach explains communication by looking

for the meaning that motivates communication and how shared reality is generated by

messages. In the meaning-centered approach, communications (messages) are designed

to merge individual goals into more general ones that are acceptable to the group as a

whole—a shared reality. Organizational culture is defined as the shared reality that

describes the organization's unique sense of the place, its practices, and how it presents

itself to the outside world. “(Argosy,2011)

For assessing the communication style using this approach I will ask each participant

in the course to form committees in their buildings and to have these committees

brainstorm within departments or small groups on the parts of their intructional

approaches that could benefit from Project Based Learning curriculum. “This emphasis

on group-set goals and responsibilities could contribute to a solidarity of purpose that

could help integrate individual and organizational goals. This integration would be

productive for both individuals and organizations.”( Zalabak, P. S.,2006)

The goal for the participant in the training will be to develop a grouping system and

questioning approach which embodies the revealing of the shared opinions of the groups.

The participants in the training should urge the community to share openly and look at all

of the positives and negatives of the project based learning initiative.

The final option for participants will be the Emerging Perspectives Approach.”The

emerging perspectives approach looks at how postmodernism, critical theory, and

feminist perspectives may mitigate an organization's communication processes,

regardless of the traditional communication approach used.”(Argosy,2011)

To assess the participant int he training program on the emerging perspectives

approach. The leader should bring the school community together and create opprtunities

for each memeber to share their backgrounds and experiences with another person. The

meetings should focus on each person sharing and listening to eachother about topics

such as women’sexperiences in the workplace, experiences with traditional leadership

models,different backgrounds of staff/faculty,brain storm on the opening of

communication between different cultures in the school.

Focus Areas Of First 2 Days of 5 Day Communication Training

The concepts and areas of focus that my training program will focus in collaborative

approaches to leadership,public speaking and devloping initiatives with communication

models. Each of these core areas looks to improve the particpants ability to devlop

initiatives within their distrct. Each participant will be provided documents and research

to begin learning groups in the area of project based learning. Participants are expected to

use the skills they gain in action in their own districts.

Collaborative approaches to Leadership:Listening & Speaking

The focus of day 1 is to establish relationships amongst the participants and to

practice good listening and team building skills. The activities for this focus are pairing

activities,listening skill activities,team building skills,own realities,public speaking and

verbal and non verbal clues.

I will be asking my audience(school principals,department heads)how they can help

teachers and other staff and district leaders to implement the use of Project Based

Learning Curriculum techniques throughout the district. The assessment of my

particiapnts will be based on the reflections they provide during their break out periods

and the content of their powerpoints.

The target audience will be shown a powerpoint which defines the principals of good

leadership and communication skills. This powerpoint will incorporate the key concepts

of Senge’s Five Disciplines System Thinking ,Personal Mastery,Mental Models, Building

Shared Vision, Team Learning( Zalabak, P. S.,2006) and descriptions of the importance

of listening with leadership,team building and shared realities. The participants will be

provided definitions of the disciplines and the importance these topics have in

organizational communication and to the individual. 1st Assessment: Pairing Activity

The 16 members of the training will be paired into 8 groups and given a scenario.

Each scenario will be based in major areas of communication. Each pair of individuals

will work through five different scenarios focused in the area of Project Based Learning.

The assignments are aimed at getting participants to engage eachother in the areas of

focus.

The groups will reconvene into 2 groups of 8 and discuss the findings of their group

work. Each group will choose a recorder and speak to the entire group about the shared

experiences and share a powerpoint slideshow which incorporates their experiences into

the principals of leadership communication. The shared experiences will be critical to the

learning of the group as well in that each memeber should share what they liked and

disliked about each scenario. The scenarios should begin to reveal the strengths and

weaknesses of the leaders communication.

Goals

The goals for the collaborative leadership activities are centered around getting the

participants to to engage with eachother and to engage in in activities which improve

their communication skills within grouops communication. The activities will force

participants to examine their ability to listen to eachother and share their experiences ina

group environment. By developing the powerpoint participants will select the key themes

that they discuss as a group and be thorough in their discussion of the Senge’s Five

Disciplines.

2. Public Speaking

Part 1 of Day 2 is focused on public speaking in small groups and larger groups. This

focus begins the description of what is expected of particpants in their outside work. The

activities which are centered around public speaking skills are also chosen to be used and

implemented in different environments. The activities are aimed at developing the

participants experience speaking publicly in small groups,;llarger groups and groups and

and for developing initiatives.

Participants will be asked to continual provide reflection in small groups and have a

high level of interpersonal communication in all group settings. Many participants will

actually be speaking to larger groups and those who are in the groups should share in this

experience. Reporting out by all participants will be required.

Goals

It is the goal of this focus to have participants take their new confidence back to their

districts and speak to their school communities with confidence. Participants will be

asked to develop committees and focus groups in the area of Project Based Learning. The

particiapnts will have to single handedly find ways to initiate groups and speak

powerfully as the leader. These activities of reporting out and devloping confidence

speaking to large groups should confront the fear many different participants will have.

Part 2 Day 2:Developing Initiative with Leadership Models

The focus of day 2 activities will be asking participants to choose a communication

approach which they will employ in their own in district work. Choosing from the

communication appoaches of functional,meaning centered and emerging perspectives.

The second assessment must be done out of the program on the participants own time.

Participants will be able to choose one of the three possible communication

approaches(Functional,Meaning Centered and Emerging Perspectives). Based on their

choice of assignment and how they are completed, a strong evaluation of their

communication style can be determined.

I measure the interpersonal communication skills of the participants by giving them a

choice of assignment. Choosing from one of the three types of communication

approaches participants must do an evaluation of the methods that participants could use

in their organizations as rubric for understanding their approaches and styles.

Goals

Participants should be able to choose a mode of communication and apply in in their

in district assignments. Participants should be able to apply their chosen communication

model to their in district leadership regarding project based learning. The goal is to get

participants to better understand the methods they use and to be able to draw from their

understanding of the models. Participants after reflection may actually realize they chose

the wrong model and attempt to use a different one. Participants need to become process

orientated and self evaluate their decison making and communication skills. The

participant may also recognize the habits of particular communication styles.

Activities For Outcomes Days 3 & 4 Communication Training

The activities for days three and four are based on participants using their learned

leadership communication skills in their work environment. Part of my training program

includes having participants take what they have learned and apply the skills and

knowledge in their own district. I will be asking my audience(school

principals,department heads)how they can help teachers and other staff and district

leaders to implement the use of Project Based Learning Curriculum techniques

throughout the district.

The activities are broken down by the concept areas of the whole training which are

Collaborative Approaches to Leadership and Developing Inititiatives with Leadership

Models. Particiapnts are expected to apply these skills and then report back in an online

format at the end of an implementation period.

Collaborative Approaches to Leadership: Listening & Speaking: Day 3(Outside of Program)

Activities

1.Participants will document in a journal their experiences while public speaking and

the different environments in which they speak. Participants must carefully examine their

confidence levels and audience.

Outcomes

Participants will develop an appreciation for listening to other individual’s

perspectives and visions with respect and eye contact. Participants will work on their own

listening skills and reflect in writing their response. This will provide real world

opportunities and experiences to build their experiences as a speaker.

2. Verbal & Non Verbal Clue activity As a journal entry participants must reflect on the

prevalence of clues in the environments of their district projects related to project based

learning.

Outcomes

Participants will have a better understanding of verbal and non-verbal communication

and clues in their own actions, others and their organization. Participants are given real

world experience analyzing the verbal and non-verbal clues of leaders and teachers in

their own district experiences. Participants should infer if the clues they infer were

relevant to the decisions they felt were made in the context the Project Based Learning

agenda.

Developing Initiative with Leadership Models:Day 4(Outside of Program Work)

1. Paticipants use their outlines for change using a chosen leadership style

functional,meaning centered or emerging perspectives(Zalabak, P. S., 2006 )to organize

committees based in the area of project based learning in their district.

Outcome

Participants will have a collection of experiences, emails, reflections and notes which

reflect their experience using one of the modes of communication. Participants will

develop a committee and apply their chosen leadership style to further the push of Project

Based Learning. Particpants will analyze the repsonse of members of their committee and

other district leaders and document these responses in relation to their choice of

communication style.

4. Presentation of Experience- Particpants must present an online powerpoint

presentation on their experience to the other members of their subgroups in a google

Docs format.

Outcomes From 5 Day Communication Training

The outcomes for this 5 day seminar for teachers, department heads, assistant

principals, principals, assistant superintendents is based on how they can implement an

initiative for Project Based Learning Curriculum techniques throughout the district. The

participants will also be doing work on their communication skills within seminar which

will challenge them to develop their skills and refine them in small group initiatives.

The assessment of my participants will be based on the reflections they provide during

their break out periods and the content of their PowerPoint’s. During these assessments

there are ultimate outcomes which the participant should experience during the seminar

and also take with them back to their district.

The outcomes are broken into two areas. Outcomes which represent knowledge and

skills gained during the seminar time which they can take back to their district and the

second part are the outcomes based on the participants experience in in-district activities.

Participants will be practicing skills which were introduced in the seminar such as team

building, communication methods and public speaking. These outcomes are expected to

be completed in terms of reporting back at the second meeting but also continued on in

the participant’s career and work in their district.

Outcomes for Activities of Project

1. Participants will develop an appreciation for listening to other individual’s

perspectives and visions with respect and eye contact.

2. Participants will apply their skills as team members to develop their own teams

which can be productive and successful.

3. Participants will use an understanding of their own environment to develop

programs and initiatives which are appropriate for the communication styles

present.

4. Participants will feel more confident and experienced with public speaking in

different environments and will utilize this skill regularly.

5. Participants will have a better understanding of verbal and non-verbal

communication and clues in their own actions, others and their organization.

6. Participants will have a collection of experiences, emails, reflections and notes

which reflect their experience using one of the modes of communication.

7. Participants will return after participation in the first half of the seminar with a

presentation of the methods they used to pursue the initiative in their school

context.

Each outcome is specifically based on an activity and the anticipated outcome of the

activity. Activities for this seminar include Listening Activities, Team Building

Activities, Role Playing, Public Speaking, Observation Activities, and Reflections.These

outcomes map to the participants needs by giving a set result for the activities for the

program and also give opportunities for participants to report back their experiences from

their in-district work.

Participants should feel as though when they report back their experiences in the

groups or on their own that they are revealing an understanding of their own

communication skills or recognize the styles or traits of otherr; “the Meaning-Centered

approach describes organizational communication as the process for generating shared

realities that become organizing, decision making, sensemaking, influence, and culture.”(

Zalabak, P. S. ,2006) By embracing the Meaning Centered approach with the creation of

outcomes the group will share an identity by constructing from their experiences.

These outcomes also challenge participants to analyze their responses and experiences

while doing the activities and individual work. Having outcomes which are immediately

due after activities holds participants to a different level of responsibility than the work

they will do on their own. I hope that participant’s immediate responses will provide a

different result and feel than the reflections and results of the work that participants do on

their own.

Outcomes

Participants will return after participation in the first half of the seminar with a

presentation of the methods they used to pursue the initiative in their school context.

They will describe the positive and negative experiences of their in district work and

provide a presentation of their implementation plan. This presentation will continue to

develop their public speaking skills and provide an opportunity to refine their approach

Day 5 Conclusion: Online Sharing Of Experiences

On day five of my training program it will be important to remind the participants of

the program of what they have learned and how they can use what they have learned

during the process of the program. The conclusion of the program should provide

participants with a feeling of reflection on their in-district work and much more self

confidence and esteem when speaking publicly. The fifth day will engage participants in

an interactive online experience connected to the outcomes of the program.

The goals of my program are based in collaborative approaches to leadership, public

speaking and developing initiatives with communication models(Functional,Meaning

Centered and Emerging Perspectives). Participants are asked to use these skills in their

own district to present an initiative using Project Based Learning curriculum. Participants

should take initiative with the formation of a committee in their district and develop their

listening skills while communicating in groups.

Using Google Docs each collaboration group that reconvened into 2 groups of 8 in the

first four days of the seminar will once again be brought together to discuss the findings

of their group work. These groups developed in the beginning of the seminar will have a

conclusive online meeting to discuss their experiences public speaking and developing

committees in their district. This is an opportunity for each smaller group to reconnect in

an online format and to also practice another form of communication.

The benefits of this experience should provide participants with an outlet for

discussing their experiences and also provide a new tool for sharing. Key questions to

prompt the group are “What challenges did you face gaining momentum for your

initiative?” and “What challenges in terms of communication were faced when meeting

varying members of your community?”.

The shared experiences of those participating online will be critical to the learning of

the group. Each member will be urged to share what they liked and disliked about each

scenario they employed in their communication environments. The scenarios should

begin to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the leaders’ communication and their

reflection on their experiences using their communication scenario of Functional,

Meaning Centered or Emerging Perspectives in their environment( Three Approaches To

Percieving Communication, 2011).

Using Google Docs each group member should share a powerpoint describing their

experiences in the main key areas(Public Speaking, Leadership Initiative with

Communication Models and Listening skills ). Each member should share their

powerpoints and describe how each one was approached and how each one was a

successful experience or a challenging one.

I feel that using Google Docs as a format for chatting online will challenge

individuals who already have previous existing relations in person to communicate as a

group online. Participants will gain an appreciation for non-verbal clues in

communication and make participants think carefully about their participation. The

question prompts will also keep members engaged and provide a clear objective to their

interaction.

The creation of the Power point will have participants reflect on their experience and

also create a presentation piece using technology which will describe their experience.

This presentation will help show learned listening skills and communication around a

central theme.

I feel as though the final piece of this training being online will give participants the

opportunity to learn new technology tools and to use them in a constructive and reflective

way on their learned experiences. This experience hopefully will continue on into their

in-district work and provide a new communication outlet. This final piece of the training

should also connect to the overarching desired outcomes for the participants to the

activities in day 5. The priority skills gained are listed as followed.

1.Participants should develop an appreciation for listening and others communication by

engaging in online chat and dialogue.

2.Learn important team building skills and environment of communication by working

with others and sharing their experiences.

3.Confidence with public speaking and verbal and non-verbal clues by developing work

in their district and sharing their work in groups.

4.Gained a solid reflective experience applying communication methods and better

understanding for their chosen communication methods.

References

Three Approaches To Percieving Communication. (2011). Argosy University

Organizational Communication Systems & Internship Seminar. Retrieved March

11, 2011, from http://www.myeclassonline.com

Zalabak, P. S. (2006). 3. Fundamentals of organizational communication: knowledge,

sensitivity, skills, values (6. ed., pp..18-38). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.