This document discusses approaches to teaching communication skills. It argues that both skills-based and attitude-based approaches are important. The skills approach treats communication as learnable techniques and emphasizes practice, feedback, and behavioral change. The attitude approach addresses deeper emotions that may block communication. The document advocates using experiential learning methods like role-plays, observation, and feedback to help learners practice and improve their skills. It also discusses using problem-based learning and balancing self-directed with facilitator-directed instruction. Overall it analyzes different teaching methods and how to effectively incorporate skills training, attitude exploration, and active learning in a communication curriculum.

2. Introduction
Hashem Yaseen 2016

3. The importance of both skills and
attitudinal approaches to
communication teaching.
Why take a skills-based approach
to communication teaching and
learning?
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4. The skills
approach
The attitude
approach
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5. The skills approach
 Communication is a skill
 It is a series of learned skills and not simply a
matter of personality.
 Individual skills can be delineated and learned.
 Knowledge of appropriate skills does not
translate directly to performance.
 Practice with observation and feedback is
required to achieve acquisition of new skills and
change in learners behaviour.
 communication training requires formal
instruction that is intentional, systematic,Hashem Yaseen 2016

6. The attitude approach
 Block in communication → deeper level of
attitudes and emotions. ??
 Exploration of the doctor’s thoughts, feelings, and
emotions towards patient. ??
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7. Why both skills and attitudes?
 The concept of outcome
 What you want to achieve?
 The capacity !
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8. Why take a predominantly skills
–based approach?
1. Skills acquisition is the one essential
component of communication teaching
and learning.
2. Skills acquisition is important even where
are no attitudinal blocks.
3. The skills approach is less threatening to
the defensive learner.
4. Skills acquisition can lead to changes in
attitudes.
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9. Skills vs. Issues
 Issues-based approach
 Coursework is organized around issues
such as ethics , culture , age , death and
dying and addiction.
 Not preferred
 The well-rounded communication
curriculum deals with skills , attitudes and
specific communication issues.
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10. Which teaching and learning
methods work in practice?
1 - experiential learning
methods
2 - problem-based learning
methods
3 - Didactic methods
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11. The evidence that specific experiential
methods are necessary
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12. Teaching methods used to bring about
changes in learners communication skills
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13. The evidence that specific
experiential methods are
necessary
 Rutter and Maguire 1976
 Roe 1980
 Evanset al 1989
 Madan et al 1998 Hashem Yaseen 2016

14. What makes the mentor so good ?
…. “He is gifted with patients.” !
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15. The essential ingredients of
experiential communication skills
learning
 Systematic delineation and definition of
essential skills.
 Observation of learners.
 Well-intentioned , detailed and descriptive
feedback .
 Video or audio recording and review.
 Repeated practice and rehearsal of skills.
 Active small group or one-to-one learning.
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16. Feedback without observation
is like treatment without
diagnosis
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17. Video or audio recording
advantages
 Learners who can observe or listen to themselves understand their own
strengths and weaknesses much more readily than if they rely on
reflection alone.
 Recordings encourage a learner – centered approach with the learner
being more centrally and actively involved in the analysis
 Recordings help to prevent misconceptions and disagreements
 Recordings allow feedback to be much more specific as there is always an
exact referent for any particular item of discussion
 Recordings help feedback to focus on description rather than on
evaluation
 Recordings allow areas to be reviewed on several occasions and enable
the learner to revisit feedback and learning at later date
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18. Repeated practice and rehearsal of
skills.
1. Practising skills in safety.
2. Enabling ongoing feedback
and rehearsal
3. Developing an individual
approach.
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19. Active small group or one-to-one
learning.
 Requires learners to take a more active role
– to learn by doing rather than by just
listening or reading
 Experiential study shifts the primary focus
away from the lecture and the book to
one's own behaviour
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20. Where do we start?
What de we observe and why?
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21.  Adults are motivated by learning that is:
1. Relevant to learners present situations.
2. Practical rather than just theoretical
3. Problem centered rather than subject centered
4. Built on learners previous experience.
5. Directed towards learners perceived needs
6. Planned in terms of negotiated and emergent objectives
7. Participatory, actively involving learners
8. Geared to learner’s own pace
9. Primarily self – directed
10. Designed to promote amore equal relationship with
teachers
11. Evaluated through self – and peer assessment
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22.  Constructivism characterizes learners and
learning as follows:
1. Knowledge is constructed by learner
2. Knowledge is based on learner’s
understanding – scientifically collected or
academic knowledge is important but it is
the only truth.
3. The learner builds cognitive structures
through interaction, reflection and inquiry.
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23. Using a problem – based approach in
practice
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24. Using a problem – based approach in
practice
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25. Using a problem – based approach in
practice
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26. Using a problem – based approach in
practice
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27. Hashem Yaseen 2016

28. The balance between self –
directed and facilitator – directed
learning
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29. Why include didactic teaching in the
communication skills programme?
What place is there for more
didactic‫؟‬teaching methods
Hashem Yaseen 2016