MINDFULCOMMUNICATION DAY

Become a more mindful communicator by practicing. Productive practice takes time, effort, and attention. Start by being more aware of your surroundings, those with whom you are communicating, and especially, yourself. Focus an entire day on communication. Try to be more aware than you usually are of the various communicative elements that make up your interactions and environments throughout the day.

Consider the following:
• Who are the senders and receivers? Why are you and they motivated to communicate?
• Notice instances of communication about making sense, sharing sense, and creating meaning.
• What kind of noise did you notice?
• How do different spaces impact communication? How do you adapt your own style and content of communication to the person with whom you are communicating?

Keep these questions in mind and do your best to practice all of the communication principles outlined in chapter 1 of the text (and addressed throughout the book). They are listed below for review. **Give extra attention to the first communication principle; it is an excellent starting point in a plan to strengthen communication habits. Notice how being mindful and aware are both fundamental aspects of the other principles.Spend the day being as mindful and aware as possible, and see how you do with each of the five communication principles.

A. Principle One:Leaders areAware ofYourCommunication with Yourselfand Others
1. Be mindfulofyourcommunication
2. Be conscious ofwhatmotivates you and others
B. PrincipleTwo:LeadersEffectivelyUse and InterpretVerbalMessages
1. Encodeaccurately
2. Decodeaccurately
3. Selectappropriate symbols
4. Followsystemofrules
C. PrincipleThree:LeadersEffectivelyUse and InterpretNonverbalMessages
1. Be aware ofactions:yours and others
D. Principle Four:LeadersListen and RespondThoughtfullyto Others
1. Be otheroriented
E. Principle Five:LeadersAppropriatelyAdaptMessages to Others
1. Tailormessagesto adaptto gender,personality, culture

After your day of being as mindful and aware as possible, reflect on your experiences and observations. In approximately 2 pages, summarize your day. Give an example of an instance in your day when communication was about: 1. Making sense 2. Sharing sense and 3. Creating meaning. Discuss principle one and at least one additional principle in relation to your day. Describe what you did to practice the principles and how others seemed to respond. How did you feel? How would you rate yourself on a mindful and aware continuum? What was easiest to do as a mindful communicator? Explain. What was the most difficult? How come? Identify your strengths and two areas for improvement, and describe specific steps to take to strengthen these aspects and/or habits of your communication.

Rubric(grades will be based upon the inclusion and quality of the following required components):
• 2 pages, standard 12 point font, double-spaced
• Essay is a qualityoverall deliverable (good writing, clear organization, proper punctuation, etc.)
• Includes a descriptive summary of communication in the day
• Includes and explains examples of:
o Making sense
o Sharing sense
o Creating meaning.
• Discusses principle one and at least one more in relation to day.
• Describes what was done to practice the principles and how others seemed to respond.
• Answers and explains the questions:
o How did you feel?
o What was easiest to do?
o What was the most difficult?
• Identifies both strengths and two areas for improvement. Describes specific steps to take to strengthen these areas.

Become a more mindful communicator by practicing. Productive practice takes time, effort, and attention. Start by being more aware of your surroundings, those with whom you are communicating, and especially, yourself. Focus an entire day on communication. Try to be more aware than you usually are of the various communicative elements that make up your interactions and environments throughout the day.

Consider the following:
• Who are the senders and receivers? Why are you and they motivated to communicate?
• Notice instances of communication about making sense, sharing sense, and creating meaning.
• What kind of noise did you notice?
• How do different spaces impact communication? How do you adapt your own style and content of communication to the person with whom you are communicating?

Keep these questions in mind and do your best to practice all of the communication principles outlined in chapter 1 of the text (and addressed throughout the book). They are listed below for review. **Give extra attention to the first communication principle; it is an excellent starting point in a plan to strengthen communication habits. Notice how being mindful and aware are both fundamental aspects of the other principles.Spend the day being as mindful and aware as possible, and see how you do with each of the five communication principles.

A. Principle One:Leaders areAware ofYourCommunication with Yourselfand Others
1. Be mindfulofyourcommunication
2. Be conscious ofwhatmotivates you and others
B. PrincipleTwo:LeadersEffectivelyUse and InterpretVerbalMessages
1. Encodeaccurately
2. Decodeaccurately
3. Selectappropriate symbols
4. Followsystemofrules
C. PrincipleThree:LeadersEffectivelyUse and InterpretNonverbalMessages
1. Be aware ofactions:yours and others
D. Principle Four:LeadersListen and RespondThoughtfullyto Others
1. Be otheroriented
E. Principle Five:LeadersAppropriatelyAdaptMessages to Others
1. Tailormessagesto adaptto gender,personality, culture

After your day of being as mindful and aware as possible, reflect on your experiences and observations. In approximately 2 pages, summarize your day. Give an example of an instance in your day when communication was about: 1. Making sense 2. Sharing sense and 3. Creating meaning. Discuss principle one and at least one additional principle in relation to your day. Describe what you did to practice the principles and how others seemed to respond. How did you feel? How would you rate yourself on a mindful and aware continuum? What was easiest to do as a mindful communicator? Explain. What was the most difficult? How come? Identify your strengths and two areas for improvement, and describe specific steps to take to strengthen these aspects and/or habits of your communication.

Rubric(grades will be based upon the inclusion and quality of the following required components):
• 2 pages, standard 12 point font, double-spaced
• Essay is a qualityoverall deliverable (good writing, clear organization, proper punctuation, etc.)
• Includes a descriptive summary of communication in the day
• Includes and explains examples of:
o Making sense
o Sharing sense
o Creating meaning.
• Discusses principle one and at least one more in relation to day.
• Describes what was done to practice the principles and how others seemed to respond.
• Answers and explains the questions:
o How did you feel?
o What was easiest to do?
o What was the most difficult?
• Identifies both strengths and two areas for improvement. Describes specific steps to take to strengthen these areas.