How can I read the room?

Positive Relationships

Let’s learn to pick up on clues that aren’t words to better understand where a conversation might be heading. We’ll practice paying attention to body language and small changes in chats to get better at understanding how conversations evolve.
11-13

Life skills covered in this lesson:

Compassion

Compassion is our ability to feel for others when they are in pain and be motivated to take action to relieve their suffering. It includes five essential elements – recognizing other people’s pain, accepting that human suffering is universal, feeling for the sufferer, tolerating the discomfort it causes to us without being judgmental and feeling motivated to help. It includes the aspect of Global Compassion which refers to compassion felt toward others regardless of their relationship with us, their status, background, membership to any group, and overall circumstances.

Compassion is an enduring skill that is associated with a range of positive attitudes and behaviours towards self, others and humanity as a whole. It is kindness and empathy extended beyond our own people thereby contributing to prosocial behaviour, conflict resolution, and peacekeeping at a global level.

Compassion In Action

The person will be able to:

Recognize others’ feelings and emotions in particular situations.
Identify their own feelings and emotions as they witness or hear about another person’s pain, suffering, hardships and misfortunes.
Recognize how they feel when they hear about a person’s or a group’s suffering who is not related to them.
Engage in simple acts of kindness on a day to day basis with people within their circle, as well as with strangers and animals.
Come up with ways in which they can reach out and help others.
Identify and validate people’s experiences across gender. race, ethnicity, geographical locations, religion, socio-economic strata etc. and show their readiness to help.
Demonstrate a humane approach towards global problems.
Commit to causes and put together resources in order to mobilize help.

Social Awareness

Social Awareness is the ability to form connections and work with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of religion, caste, gender, socio-economic strata, geographical location etc. It is the ability to understand, empathise and accept people and practices that are different from our own. It is also the ability to recognise and exercise our rights and duties as responsible citizens.

Social Awareness includes being sensitive to local and global environmental concerns, being aware of and involved in addressing social issues, respecting and protecting the rights of others, especially those of vulnerable populations (women, children, elderly, people with disabilities, economically and socially marginalised communities etc.), thus contributing to the collective wellbeing of society.

Social Awareness In Action

The person will be able to:

Recognise ways in which they and their peers are similar and different.
Express interest in getting to know their friends’ native language and cultural practices.
Articulate how a diverse set of friends or members in a team enhances their perspective and life in general.
Determine the commonalities amongst diverse people – their basic needs, emotions, expectations from others etc.
Analyze their community’s or neighbourhood’s needs/problems and put together a plan to address those.
Recognise the vulnerabilities of others and be willing to accept, protect and even help, if needed.
Show awareness of specific social causes, take a stance and use concrete steps towards addressing them.
Get involved in organizations and civic bodies that help and contribute towards various social and environmental causes.

Communication

Communication is the ability to express ourselves and respond to people, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our culture and situation. This includes listening attentively and respectfully; expressing our opinions and desires, needs and fears in an assertive manner; as well as being able to ask for advice and help in times of need. It is a way of connecting with others by conveying our ideas, facts, thoughts, feelings, and values.

Effective Communication helps us better understand a person or situation and enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect, and create environments where creative ideas, problem solving, affection, and caring can flourish.

Communication In Action

The person is able to:

Listen actively without interrupting their peers, friends, teachers, family, etc.
Recognise when to listen or speak.
Express their thoughts clearly using verbal and para verbal cues.
Express themselves in a variety of ways.
Say ‘’no’’ in an assertive manner without being disrespectful.
Consider others’ opinions and feelings before responding.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution is the ability to resolve a dispute or a conflict, when there is disagreement, contradiction or incompatibility among two or more individuals or groups, by meeting at least some of each side’s needs and addressing their interests. It includes the ability to communicate and negotiate in a manner that can help the parties arrive at an agreement without hurting the relationship they share as well as the goals they feel committed to.

Conflict Resolution is considered an important life skill at an interpersonal as well as global level. Resolving conflicts can lead to constructive problem-solving and peaceful collaboration among individuals and groups.

Conflict Resolution In Action

The person will be able to:

Show willingness to examine reasons for a conflict.
Demonstrate a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue.
Practise self-regulation skills by taking charge of their own emotions and being aware of those of others, thereby behaving accordingly.
Seek and evaluate different perspectives towards resolving a situation.
Practise assertiveness and cooperation in a balanced way.
Show willingness and flexibility to compromise.

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