Enables the leader to encourage participant engagement and participation

Create an atmosphere of respect toward both participants and the leader

Gives the leader the ability to keep the group on track, avoid conflicts and encourage participation

Asking open-ended questions encourages

meaningful responses and reflection

elicits a fuller response requiring more thought from individuals rather than asking

participants can just answer yes or no

harder to answer and make the person think more deeply; moves from reacting to reflecting

provide facts and are easy to answer

participants can just answer yes or no

elicits a fuller response requiring more thought from individuals rather than asking

harder to answer and make the person think more deeply; moves from reacting to reflecting

provide facts and are easy to answer

harder to answer and make the person think more deeply; moves from reacting to reflecting

elicits a fuller response requiring more thought from individuals rather than asking

participants can just answer yes or no

provide facts and are easy to answer

elicits a fuller response requiring more thought from individuals rather than asking

participants can just answer yes or no

harder to answer and make the person think more deeply; moves from reacting to reflecting

Examples of active listening

taking in non-verbal communication; maintaining eye contact and open body posture

giving feedback; paraphrasing information back to the speaker

not leaving time for the speaker to answer (non- effective pause).

passively hearing what they are saying

be aware of the dynamics of the discussion

know and switch between various roles as a facilitator as required

make everyone feel they have no input into problem-solving

be unable to redirect conversational dead-ends

A debrief should not be

somewhere where individuals pressured to answer when not ready

where everyone feels they are part of the process, e.g. in a circle

where everyone respects other opinions

Tools & processes to assist in the development of interpersonal skills & enhance group performance

- Coaching - Reflection - Videography - Scenario

- Reflective questions - Questioning - Peer review

Interpersonal skills is not

Allows for group to exhibit a sense of identity, collaboration, respect, and camaraderi

Mental and social skills that enable individuals to build and maintain effective relationships with others.

Vital for effective communication and relationships in personal and professional lives.

Encompass various aspects of social interaction and communication.

Provision of cues and information, providing not only instruction but also continued support and feedback

Requires more than just ‘thinking’ about it; responses should be vocalised or written down; usually occurs after an activity, with learning transferred to future situations.

Audio-visual recording of an activity or process for later review

Using theoretical situations to role-play responses to promote problem-solving and the application of skills

interactive, getting alongside participants and moving through the activity with them during an activity.

guided/directed questioning to bring focus to specific learning goals during a debrief (group or peer) or responding to prompts in written format (e.g. journaling)

occurring during the activity, usually reviewed after the activity and requires forethought + permission of those being recorded

comprised of an activity in and of itself

Coaching enhances group performance

Positive reinforcement, builds relationship (trust) and personalised feedback can be immediate

Students are then focused on using their skills to complete the task

Provision of cues and information which provide instruction and continued support and feedback

Working alongside participants and/or give one to one attention.

Coaching develops interpersonal skills