Peer Power, Book One

Strategies for the Professional Leader: Becoming an Effective Peer Helper and Conflict Mediator

Judith A. Tindall

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2008
• eBook ISBN: 9781135897208
• Topic: Psicologia
• Subtopic: Salute mentale in psicologia

The Peer Power Program is a peer training program designed for middle, high school, and higher education students, focusing on 8 core skills: Attending, Empathizing, Summarizing, Questioning, Genuineness, Assertiveness, Confrontation, and Problem Solving. Through a series of exercises, games, and self-awareness techniques, youth and adults involved in the program can gain the basic communication and mediation skills necessary to effectively help their peers.

The professional strategies book provides the program leader/facilitator with clear and easy to follow guidelines for implementing the Peer Power Program. After an overview of the peer program philosophy, training structure, and goals, the leader's guide proceeds through the thirteen Modules that are found in the student Workbook. For each exercise in the student Workbook, this leader's guide provides instructions for introducing and implementing the exercise, time and material requirements, description of its purpose and goal, and application assignments. Equipped with the professional strategies book, the program leader (teacher, school counselor, juvenile center officer, mental health professional and human resource professional) can quickly and confidently work through the Peer Power curriculum.

Unit B

DEVELOPING BASIC HELPING SKILLS

DEVELOPING BASIC HELPING SKILLS

Unit B will provide a step-by-step approach in teaching listening and responding skills. These skills are extremely important in teaching basic helping skills for peer helpers. These skills are sequential and need to be taught in such a manner that the trainee learns them well enough to utilize them.

Attending skill (Module V) is the first skill, which teaches the trainee how to utilize their body to attend to others. Module VI, on the empathy skill, will assist the trainee in learning how to listen for both content and feelings. Summarizing skill is presented in Module VII and will assist the trainee in putting all thoughts together and giving feedback to the helpee.

Module VIII, on questioning, will assist the trainee in learning open-ended questioning techniques to facilitate the communication. The helper is more effective if he/she can listen and respond in a genuine manner. Module IX will assist the trainee in learning how to be genuine. Module X will help the trainee learn assertiveness skills that respect others and still get the point across at home, school, and work. At times in working with others, the skill of confrontation (Module XI) is helpful in instigating change in others’ behavior.

Finally, Module XII on problem solving will provide skills for the trainee to work with others individually or in groups to solve problems.

These skills provide the people skills and finally the task skills to help the training group move through problem areas and “storming” times so that they can become a fully functioning group.

MODULE V

Attending Skill

Introduction

Attending behavior relates most directly to the concept of helper respect for the helpee, which is demonstrated when undivided attention is given to the helpee.

Goals

To teach trainees the difference between effective and ineffective nonverbal attending skills

To teach trainees to be able to discriminate between effective and ineffective nonverbal attending behaviors

To teach trainees to communicate effective nonverbal attending behaviors

Time Needed—Trainees’ preparation: 1

to 1¾ hours for the six exercises

Group work: 2

to 3

hours for the six exercises

Materials

• Peer Power, Book One, Workbook (one for each trainee)
• Flip chart paper or whiteboard
• Pencil or pen for each trainee
• Name tag for name on shirt
• Sticky notes for trainees to utilize during training
• Snacks for trainees if budget permits
• Crayons
• Koosh balls or other things to hold in their hands
• Rewards to give to trainees at appropriate times (M&M’s, smiley faces, etc.)
• Optional: CD player and music to play to bring people back from break
• Optional: Video equipment to be used to model skills taught or to tape the practice sessions of the trainees.

Training Procedures

Be prepared to do the demonstrations required to teach Module V as explained in Exercise 5.1, Training Procedures.

Evaluation Process

You can check on trainees’ abilities to discriminate between effective and ineffective attending behaviors as they role-play and by reviewing the flow sheets.

Measuring Outcomes

1. The module goals are met when the trainees show high levels of attending behaviors. This can be subjectively measured by observing the attending behaviors of trainees when they function as helpers.

2. The lesson will be successful when all trainees are able to rate good attending behaviors accurately.

Exercise 5.1
Examples of Nonverbal Communication Behaviors

Goal

To demonstrate effective and ineffective nonverbal attending skills

Time Needed—Trainees’ preparation: 20 to 30 minutes for this exercise

Group work: 45 to 60 minutes

Introduction to the Exercise

Attending behavior is very important in peer helping and all positive interpersonal communications. Trainees are generally willing and eager to learn more about attending skills. Through video and/or demonstrations you will be able to increase their awareness of various attending skills and how the skills can be used more effectively.

The attending skills can be learned by young and old; however, because skills are ones with which they are not familiar, you will need to proceed step by step with sufficient examples and time for the trainees to incorporate their new experiences into their memory of previous experiences. Also, give them opportunities to participate and interact.

Training Procedures

1. Demonstrate (model) by video or practice (with trainer doing the modeling during the training session) nonverbal, nonattending behavior, such as not giving eye contact, nervous hand and body mannerisms, and not squaring the helper’s body to face the helpee. Upon completion of the demonstration the trainees report their feelings generated by the nonattending behavior of the trainer or model in the video.

2. Have the trainees pair off and practice so as to experience nonverbal nonattending behavior as just modeled by the trainer. Trainees should change roles so that each has a chance to role-play both helpee and helper roles. Upon completion of the role-playing exercise, both partners report feelings generated by a helper’s nonattending behavior.

3. Demonstrate on video or model minimal attending behaviors. Minimal attending behavior means giving the helpee eye contact and no other nonverbal cues of attending. Verbal behavior can be used without emphasis by noncommittal words such as “um, yes.” Upon completion of the demonstration, the trainees report their feelings generated by the minimal attending behavior of the trainer.

4. Have the trainees pair off and practice so as to experience the minimal attending behavior just modeled by the trainer. Trainees should change roles so that each has a chance to practice both helper and helpee. Upon completion of the practice exercise, both partners report feelings generated by a helper’s minimal attending behavior.

5. Demonstrate on video or model attending behaviors. Attending behaviors include direct and consistent eye contact, leaning slightly forward in an open position, squaring the body to face the helpee, and showing through facial expression that the helper is listening attentively. Verbal behaviors can be used that are consistent with the concerns of the helpee but without emphasis.

6. Have trainees pair off and practice so as to experience the attending behavior just modeled by the trainer. Trainees should change roles so that each has a chance to role-play both helpee and helper. Upon completion of the role-playing exercise, both partners report feelings generated by a helper’s attending behavior.

7. Use additional techniques for increasing the trainee’s awareness of nonverbal communication, such as playing the camera game. Explain to the trainees that many a person’s judgments about people are influenced by what he/she “sees” as opposed to really “knowing” the true picture. The camera game consists of the following:

a. Each trainee selects a partner and faces that partner.

b. Both partners close their eyes and think about their partner. Inform trainees that after a few seconds, they will open their eyes upon command and look directly at their partner to observe dress, hairstyle, posture, eyes, sex, age, and as many characteristics as they can observe about the partner.

c. Have trainees close their eyes and think about what they saw and what conclusions can be drawn by what they saw. (For example, seeing a smile might lead a person to conclude that his/her partner was a happy person.)

d. Have trainees share with the group what they saw and the conclusions drawn from what they saw.

f. Have the trainees close their eyes and think about someone they know who reminds them of their partner.

8. Have the trainees share with their partners the type of person about whom they have been thinking.

9. Explain to the trainees that in the next training session (Exercise 5.2) they will be practicing the attending skills and providing each other with vital information on how they perform. Rating material (flow sheets) will be provided to help trainees provide feedback to each other.

10. Collect Exercise 5.1 sheets.

11. Return exercise sheets from Module IV, if not previously returned, with written comments and make any verbal comments at the same time that will help trainees’ motivation and...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Unit ASetting The Stage
• Unit B Developing Basic Helping Skills
• Unit C Implementing A Program
• References
• Author