Set the Table

Teams go as communication goes. You don’t need to dive deep into research to see teams who have an inability to communicate, struggle. Communication is the key to making teams work.

Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, many students aren’t developing the ability to communicate at a high-level and our teams are suffering as a result. Our students often communicate too soft, they mumble, their sentences trail-off and they aren’t clear with their speech.

In this exercise we’ll focus on getting students to build the habit of communicating with the volume, clarity & speed.  We’re all familiar with Voice-Activated unit’s, Alexa’s, Google Home’s, Voice-To-Text, etc., and how they work.  Voice-Activated units are designed to respond to our communication but they only work when we communicate effectively.

Voice-Activated units require you to communicate with the appropriate volume, clarity and speed, otherwise the unit won’t work.  It is our responsibility to communicate with the right volume, clarity & speed in order to activate the units.  The same goes for our classmates.

Your students will receive the necessary reps to assure we’re sending our communication in the most effective way possible.

"“Going through the Voice-Activated exercise raised my awareness of how I was delivering my communication and helped push it to another level. I actually began using voice-to-text moving forward for all texting and it's absolutely helping my communication.”"
Sophomore Student in Ohio

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Lesson Plan

Student Growth Areas

Exercise Length

Additional Resources

Shareable Graphics

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Exercise Reminder Card

To emphasize and reinforce the lessons learned in this exercise with your players, download and share this graphic with them 24 hours after completing the exercise.

Quiz Questions

Quiz Questions

Use these questions below to engage after you have taught the exercise.

  • Voice-Activated units require you to communicate with the appropriate _____, _____, _____.
  • What is the key to making teams work?
  • What happens if we don’t clearly communicate our thoughts?