Cultivating a culture of fruitful communication and democratic dialogue among teachers/adult learners (or secondary school students, if the activity is adapted accordingly)

“The blooming flower of good communication” can be used as a team building activity for teachers/adult learners helping them to self-reflect and then discuss in teams the key-values and useful tips that promote fruitful dialogue.
This activity can be also adapted to address secondary school students, helping them create their class’s “educational contract” in the form of a flower poster that can decorate the wall.

Objectives

30 – 45 minutes

Facilitator(s): One or two adult trainers
Target Group: 6-12 Teachers/educators

Methodology – steps for the facilitator

Explain the objective of the exercise to the participants, e.g.: “During this activity, we will self-reflect and then work together to discuss and agree on important values and useful tips that help us to communicate more effectively/to have fruitful dialogue with other people.

Establish ground rules. Explain to the learners that this is a free safe open space, that everybody’s input is equally valued, and that no idea is bad as long as we show respect to each other.

Ask each participant to take 3-5 minutes and think about their own values that promote good communication and fruitful dialogue and then draw a flower and place in its various parts (e.g. roots, stem, leaf, core, petals) the above mentioned values. Each participant is free to decide what parts will include in his/her flower, how many petals it will have etc. (e.g. some participants might draw roots, others not, some might draw only one leaf, while others 2 or more). 

Create sub-groups of 3-4 participants each and give them 10-15 minutes to discuss, exchange their answers and create together a common flower with attributes and values they found out they all share/tips and values they all agree to include. 

Each sub-group will then decide on a spokesperson for their team who will present their flower in a plenary session.

As facilitator, you can compare the flowers and with input from all participants  create a common flower that represents the whole group. 

In the process of creating this common flower, as a facilitator, you can open a discussion on what important values, useful tips and basic skills we need for effective communication. In addition it can be discussed how a group identity could be developed into a diverse school, based on values and relations that connect the school community members under the umbrella of human rights and democracy.

Conclude the activity by asking the participants questions like the following: How did the activity make you feel? Was it something that surprised you? How did your team work together? How easy is it for teachers to promote these values/give a good example?

• Sheets of papers, pencils/markers for all participants and then for each team
• Classroom board or flipchart and markers for the facilitator

The activity is based on the “My and our flower” activity from Council of Europe (2021). HANDLING CONTROVERSY IN SCHOOLS THROUGH HUMAN RIGHTS AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION: Peaceful Coexistence and Communication, Conflict Resolution, Social Mobilisation. An Educational Toolkit for Teachers. Developed under the project “Sharing Knowledge, Handling Controversy in Schools of Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria”. Authors: A. Telliou, K. Pantziou, A. Radevska, G. Decheva, T. Hristova, Sept. 2021. https://skhc.antigone.gr/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SKHC-Toolkit_ENG_FINAL.pdf

Headlee, C. (2016). “10 ways to have a better conversation”. TED video available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vskiVDwl4 (subtitles in 43 languages). 
Indeed (2023). “19 Characteristics of Good Communicators (With Tips)”. Indeed editorial team, updated February 4, 2023. Available online at https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/good-communicator-characteristics