Jus' Talkin' Ain't Necessarily Communicatin'

A Guidebook for Foster Parents Who Want to Strengthen Effective Communication in the Family


Charles E. Confer

The curriculum goals include:

* Understanding the definition of communication: The exchange of ideas, thoughts, knowledge and information.
* Identifying and practicing effective 'Sending Skills'
* Identifying and exploring steps to eliminate ineffective sender skills.
* Understanding the importance of understanding the other person's message.
* Identifying and practicing effective 'Receiving Skills'
* Identifying and exploring steps to eliminate the roadblocks that will obstruct or end the sender's communication.

Specific skill objectives of the training program include:
* The definition of communication as an exchange, a give and take and that the basis of good communication is a strong, positive interpersonal relationship.
* Foster parents teach communication skills to youth by modeling.
* Youth are not mind readers. Parents must own the responsibility to send clear messages.
* Be ready to listen any time you hear the youth's emotional temperature rise.
* Explore the methods to ensure that sender messages are clear and as 'un-fuzzy' as possible showing cause/effect, strengthening subjective messages with objective material.
* The ineffective sender skills of Criticism and Blame and Commanding as well as Aggressive Questioning are so absolutely damaging that they must be emphasized.
* The notion of 'tuning' into kids is important. So many times, parents are put off by the 'words' the youth uses that the parents miss the 'message.' Help parents see that by responding directly to the 'veiled message' they may be missing the 'real message' that the youth is trying to communicate.
*Identify the three signals which indicate that parental 'receiving' or listening is essential.
* The listening, clarifying and 'drawing out' skills are very important.
* The 'roadblocks' or obstacles that the foster parent can throw up will most likely end the communication or direct the conversation into an argument. The 'problem' is that these obstacles are so 'natural.' All of us use them. Help foster parents to see that the obstacles are damaging even though they seem to come 'naturally.'

#0141 Jus' Talkin' Ain't Necessarily Communicatin'
A Guidebook for Foster Parents $6.50 Ea. 10+ $5.55 Ea.

Jus' Talkin' Ain't Necessarily Communicatin'

Trainer's Guide

To support and enhance the group training process, the Trainer's Guide provides:

  • information on adults as learners;
  • suggested training format;
  • specific trainer's tips in support of the workbook content;
  • a set of transparency masters for the overhead projector or as a guide for preparing flip charts;
  • a CD contaning the overhead masters in a PowerPoint presentation and a full color certificate of participation in .pdf format;
  • a generic invitation to the training and a certificate of completion along with an evaluation form both designed to be reproduced and used by the trainer - all integrated within the workbook's content.
  • In addition, a copy of the workbook is enclosed.

    #0140 Jus' Talkin' Ain't Necessarily Communicatin' Trainer's Guide: $25.00