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Learners can vary greatly in the South West, from their age, knowledge, gender and culture to name a few. They will all come with their own personal, cultural and social factors and English may not be their first language. They may have a form of dyslexia or have a learning disability. To be an effective tutor, we need to ensure that any learning we deliver, can be conveyed in a way that is understood by all learners.

An important part of communication includes empathy and sympathy. We can express empathy when we have experienced something similar to the learner and we share sympathy if we haven't. This is important to consider when working with learners to build relationships and rapport.

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There are 3 main types of communication and we may need to use a variety of media when conveying information.

VERBAL - face to face - discussions, lync, phone calls, meetings, questions, live on a webex chat, video calling, conferencing calls.

NON-VERBAL - Body language, eye contact, listening (with nodding).

WRITTEN - emails, letters, feedback and record forms, handouts, interactive white boards, online forums, text messaging, presentations, virtual learning. We can also use technologies such as social media and text messaging.

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WRITTEN

BENEFITS - There can be many benefits and with a changing world of new technologies, this is becoming more instant. Once upon a time we had to wait for an email response. Now we can get an instant reply with text message or WhatsApp message. Social media has paved the way to get an instant message to many people at once. Living in a world of fast changing technologies and the need for instant resolution, this has become the way forward for less formal communications. However, the use of social media to contact a learner should be avoided. WhatsApp is used within the SKT team as a means of communication to resolve issues. However, it is not relied upon to carry out workplace tasks. It is purely a means of support between team members. Emails, letters and feedback forms can be used for formal communication, giving instructions and where something needs to be documented or a trail of communications is required. Many versions of written communication can be recorded and this recoded information may be used for many purposes, some may include but not limited to; progress reviews, disciplinary,  awarding body and SFA requirements. It is also of benefit to a learner who likes visual resources or experience poor recall skills.

LIMITATIONS - Letters can be lost if not filed away. Sometimes email and social media accessibility is not always possible.  Letters, emails and online forums may take longer to get the information to the learner. Not everyone has access to the internet or tools to access the internet. Therefore, social media, online forums, interactive whiteboards and instant messaging is of little or no benefit to them. Communication of information and instructions can be misinterpreted and depending on an individuals comprehension skills, they may not even be able to read it.

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There are many theories and models relating to communication and more can be found if we consider the following models:
1) Albert Mehrabian and his 7-38-55 rule.
2) Eric Berne from the 1950's and his Parent-Adult-Child model.
3) Shannon and Weaver with their sender=encoder=channel=decoder=receiver model.
All of which were covered by role play and discussion in day 4. My role play video for Mehrabian has been attached.

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 "Our bodies give away far more information than we realise. In fact, you could say that bodies don't talk: They shout. Body language includes facial expressions, gestures and postures. It's difficult to decide which of these 3 is the most important in teaching but facial expressions must be a strong contender". Appleyard and Appleyard 2010).

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 "Our bodies give away far more information than we realise. In fact, you could say that bodies don't talk: They shout. Body language includes facial expressions, gestures and postures. It's difficult to decide which of these 3 is the most important in teaching but facial expressions must be a strong contender". Appleyard and Appleyard 2010).

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VERBAL COMMUNICATION

BENEFITS - There are many benefits as you can gauge a learner's response if you are able to see their faces and body and can engage in active dialogue. Therefore your responses can be instant and can be acted upon in a timely manner. This is vital when giving feedback to a learner. It allows for further questioning and paves the way for further learning and implementation of the stages within the learning cycle. It benefits those that prefer discussions, talking and explaining topics and subjects. It can be used as an assessment method to gain evidence of knowledge and skills if a learner articulates themselves well. It can also be used to develop vocabulary for a learner who has limited verbal communication or English is not their first language. It can also be delivered in either formal or formal methods. Telephone calls and lync communication is most beneficial for a learner that needs to ask questions or further guidance and signposting for a task.

LIMITATIONS - It can be difficult to refute any points in a discussion or phone call at a later date, due to the lack of supporting evidence of the call. Unless a call or lync training session is recorded, we again, do not have evidence to go back to review. It therefore becomes unsuitable for future reference. Some forms of media used for verbal communication such as calls, lync, conference calls can falter. Connections may be lost and information not passed to the receiver as highlighted by Shannon and Weaver (1948) in their communication model. This means that as a tutor, we are less likely to achieve our objectives but perhaps made the assumption the message has been received.

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NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

BENEFITS - In my many years of experience, working in primary mental health services, I have found that we can feel reassured by relaxed body language or someone who is smiling at us. As long as this body language is natural. It can provide a learner with plenty of reassurance and can convey a positive message.
Mehrabian's model of communication clearly supports the use of face to face communication "If a speaker’s words and body language differ, listeners are more likely to believe the nonverbal communication of the speaker, not his words" (Mehrabian 1981).
In some cases a learner can feel like they are being listened to, if you are maintaining some form of eye contact and nodding at appropriate times. Even if a learner does not make much progress, we can easily reassure them with our body language. It is not always about what we say that makes the difference. Again, if we refer to the 7-38-55 rule and we have a tendency to take more note of body language, then let's make it matter!

LIMITATIONS - Depending on the individuals, the skills and knowledge they have in regard to communication,  body language has the potential to be misinterpreted.
You or your learner may find it difficult to hide how you feel, for example, you may struggle to control your non-verbal signs such as shaking hands from anxiety.  Non-verbal communication is not of much benefit to someone with limited eyesight or someone who is blind. It cannot be observed during a phone call, email or lync conversation and therefore the desired response may not be obtained. In my experience of working with individuals diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome, they may not poses the skills to interpret body language or they may misinterpret body language. This will significantly impact their ability to learn.

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"Good communicators succeed in choosing the best medium of communication for the particular purpose in mind". (The Times 100 Business Case Studies, date accessed 22 November 2018)

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"Good communicators succeed in choosing the best medium of communication for the particular purpose in mind". (The Times 100 Business Case Studies, date accessed 22 November 2018)

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Appleyard. N and Appleyard. K (2010) Communicating with Learners in the Lifelong Learning Sector. London: Learning Matters SAGE.

Mehrabian. A (1981) Silent Messages: Implicit Communication of Emotions and Attitudes. Belmont, California:Wadsworth.

The Times 100 Business Case Studies. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/hmrc/getting-the-message-across-the-importance-of-good-communication/methods-of-communication (last accessed 22 November 2018)