Goals / Objectives

To engage members in a conversation about communication skills and how those may change following a brain injury.

  • Normalize difficulty in communication and encourage members to share experiences. 
  • Introduce different communication styles and ask members to identify the pros and cons of each. 
  • Introduce skills for effective communication and practice skills in an activity. 
  • Participants will use communication skills to communicate their homework within the group.

TIME: Allow 1.5 hours for the session.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: A minimum of four participants is recommended.

Activities / Content

Introductory Activities (PDF)

Content (PDF)

  • Conversation on Verbal Communication (5 min)
  • Verbal Communication Styles (5 min)
  • Nonverbal Communication (5 min)
  • Clear Communication Practice (10 min)
  • Introduce Additional Communication Skills (10 min)

Group Activity (10-20 min) (PDF)

Practice (2 min) (PDF)

 

Trainer video: https://tinyurl.com/ahead-trainerinfo

HANDOUTS AND MATERIALS

All handouts/forms will need to be provided. Provide enough copies of handouts/forms for all participants and facilitators. Please be mindful to provide extra copies for parents, teachers, probation officers, therapists, etc. as appropriate.

WRITE ON BOARD

Write the following four styles of communication on the white board for the participants to reference while you are presenting them. These will be used later in this treatment group for the activity and group discussion.

  • Avoidant
  • Indirect
  • Aggressive
  • Clear

This curriculum uses the word ‘brain injury’ but some people will better recognize or respond to ‘concussion.’ Plan to adjust terminology as necessary.