The activity outlined here, using the "Monopoly" board game, is designed to illustrate the way that classical liberalism fails to provide justice for societies marked by historical and ongoing oppression. Taking up roles in a game that simulates some of the conditions of late capitalism can help students begin to understand how economic…

It is important for students to understand various communication principles and be able to apply them in a variety of settings using critical thinking skills. Students must learn how to think critically, which includes the ability to apply, connect, analyze, and evaluate information. Teachers, instructors, and professors who are able to integrate…

Nearly every student will go through the selection interview process to obtain a job in his or her future vocation. Regardless of the major of the student or the profession which they will pursue, the selection interview remains a constant. There has been some attention paid to the validity of the selection interview, and personality constructs…

Arguably one of the most basic forms of communication, giving and receiving affectionate communication, can promote health. It can trigger hormones that regulate stress, is positively associated with mental health and inversely associated with depression, and can quicken recovery from stressful events. Thus, affectionate communication can enhance…

A fundamental concept in Intercultural Communication is developing an understanding of different cultural patterns. Understanding different value dimensions such as collectivism, power distance, and high versus low context cultures are important steps to gaining a facility in communicating cross-culturally. This article presents an activity that…

Effective communication skills are considered essential to a physician's professional competence. Thus, Finnish medical schools include communication skills training in their curricula. Today it is essential to ensure that students graduate with the interpersonal communication competence (ICC) necessary to succeed in their profession. Experiential…

Although Western cultures tend to view dolphins as friendly and benevolent, in Japanese fishing communities, "iruka" (dolphins) are often viewed as food or pests. These perspectives have led to intense conflicts between Japanese fishermen and activists from the west. This article presents an exercise that simulates intercultural conflict by asking…

Nonverbal communication is fundamental to any comprehensive examination of human interaction. This article presents an activity that can be easily applied by any instructor as a starting point for a discussion of nonverbal communication, or as a demonstration of learning points previously discussed. Instructors should have a slight background in…

Creating a forum for conflict management students to conceptualize and implement collaborative negotiation techniques can be difficult to manage during classroom time. A computer-based simulation assigned in conjunction with in-class activities offers three distinct advantages for students who are beginning negotiators: (1) classroom time may be…

Instructors who teach critical communication theory sometimes have difficulty explaining key concepts to students. Discussions of power, ideology, hegemony, and emancipation often bring confused expressions to students upon first exposure to these ideas. This activity provides a simple, grounded approach to examining facets of critical theory in…

According to Corman (1995), theory and practice are two sides of the same coin. Each is essential for effective function in organizational contexts and effective teaching in organizational communication courses. However, the classroom experience can benefit from increased efforts to provide students with activities that allow them to apply theory…

Sharing information orally is an important skill that public speaking classes teach well. However, the author's students report that they do not often see informative lectures, demonstrations, presentations, or discussions that follow the structures and formats of an informative speech as it is discussed in their textbooks. As a result, the author…

While much of the skill building revolves around the essential skills of reading and writing, additional skills needed to succeed in the workplace are not emphasized sufficiently in the traditional classroom format. Employers are looking for employees with good interpersonal as well as academic skills. Employees who can work as team members on…