Communication Skill: Definition, Practice Setting, Behavioral Skills Checklist and Linkage, Reflection on the Experience

This article discusses the definition of communication skill, its practice setting, behavioral skills checklist and linkage, and reflection on the experience. It also includes references for further reading.

Running head: COMMUNICATION SKILL 1
Communication Skill
Student’s Name
Institution
Date

COMMUNICATION SKILL 2
Skill definition
Communication skill is essential in any set up because it helps in effective and successful
sending and receiving of messages (Moore, Rivera, Bravo‐Soto, Olivares, & Lawrie, 2018). The
skill can only be promoted and practiced in the presence of more than one parties.
Practice Setting
The practicing of the skill involved more than three other students in a classroom set-up.
The main aim was to practice the communication skill, and that meant that the aspect of having
other students on board was not only relevant but essential to the skill practice (DeBenedectis,
Gauguet, Makris, Brown, & Rosen, 2017). The activity that was utilized was a discussion on an
academic topic. As the person interested in practicing the skill, I brought up a debate that we
were supposed to engage in to see if the communication skill would be at work. To make sure
that every student participated, the discussion did not close its doors to any of the participants,
and every person had the right to participate.
The discussion took place after the regular lesson with the teacher. It is imperative to note
that this was an activity that was not associated with the school curriculum and that meant that it
had to take place outside the school program. The discussion took place because of two essential
reasons. The first reason was to foster the knowledge and understanding of the debate topic and
the second was to practice the communication skill. The set-up of the classroom promoted the
contribution of every member of the group who was present on that day. The students who were
present took the circular classroom arrangement.
Behavioral Skills Checklist and Linkage

COMMUNICATION SKILL 3
The five items that I applied from the Behavioral Skills Checklist were; paying attention,
asking questions when I did not understand something, relating with other students, observing
the mood, and answering to questions that I was familiar with. Paying attention to
communication is essential because it is only by listening to others that one gets to understand
what they want. Asking questions promotes a good discussion because it fosters the exchange of
information (Ganguly, 2017). I applied the skill by asking questions whenever I felt I needed an
explanation. Relations with other students are essential in communication because they create a
good environment for discussion. I made sure to be on the same page with all other students
during the debate. Observing moods is the aspect of trying to understand the current atmosphere
(Silverman, Kurtz, & Draper, 2016). I employed the item by paying close attention to the
prevailing mood before I could ask questions or contribute to the discussion. Answering
questions help in being part and parcel of the team. I practiced the item by being of help
whenever a group member needed a question to be answered.
Reflection on the Experience
The experience was one of the best. In each item, I scored a high mark. The engagement
and contribution to the team went well. If I had to repeat the practice, nothing I would have done
differently. I got to test my communication skill, and at the same time, I learned more about the
topic of discussion.

COMMUNICATION SKILL 4
References
DeBenedectis, C. M., Gauguet, J. M., Makris, J., Brown, S. D., & Rosen, M. P. (2017). Coming
out of the dark: a curriculum for teaching and evaluating radiology residents’
communication skills through simulation. Journal of the American College of
Radiology, 14(1), 87-91.
Ganguly, S. (2017). Action Research to Improve the Communication Skills of Undergraduate
Students. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 11(3), 62-71.
Moore, P. M., Rivera, S., Bravo‐Soto, G. A., Olivares, C., & Lawrie, T. A. (2018).
Communication skills training for healthcare professionals working with people who
have cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (7).
Silverman, J., Kurtz, S., & Draper, J. (2016). Teaching and learning communication skills in
medicine. CRC press.