Teaching Communication Skills: Activities for Students

Communication skills are extremely valuable for success. Because they help us express our thoughts and feelings more clearly, teaching communication skills in the classroom can make it easier for students to engage with the world around them. This is why it’s so essential for students to learn the basics while they’re still in school—so they can graduate with confidence in their speaking, writing, and social abilities and become the best versions of themselves.

Teachers can foster communication skills in the classroom in many ways! Through engaging activities or everyday learning, in this article we’ll dive into the basics of communication skills, why they’re so important, and creative ways to build up these skills in the classroom. (To support students’ growth, we’ve created a free, in-depth handout that explores communication basics for students!)

Teaching communication skills in the classroom can make it easier for students to engage with the world around them.

Benefits of Teaching Communication Skills

Prioritizing teaching communication skills in the classroom is a critical component of holistic education. It fosters not only academic achievement but also personal and professional development. Here are just a few reasons to focus on communication skills in the classroom:

Increases Job Opportunities: Often highlighted as one of the top qualities employers look for in new hires, communication skills can increase potential career opportunities.¹ Being able to clearly articulate yourself and your ideas is a beneficial trait to possess, no matter what industry.
Improves Leadership Skills: One of the cornerstones of great leadership is being able to clearly communicate with your team.² If students began to hone this skill early, they can set themselves up to be strong leaders in the present and future.
Builds Strong Relationships and Reduces Misunderstandings: With clear communication comes less misunderstandings. This doesn’t just mean that your message is clear. Communication skills expand further to clarity in the way you say something too—with confidence, sincerity, and assertiveness.
Enhances Academic Success: High communication skills have a clear link with academic success.³ Communication skills can help improve student engagement in class through class discussions, group projects, and asking questions.
Promotes Critical Thinking: Expressing thoughts clearly, especially when they’re complex, takes critical thinking skills.⁴ Not only that, but streamlining and articulating ideas can help students remember class information even more.

Types of Communication

Communication is the way we express ideas to others—though this isn’t just referring to speech. Communication skills encompass many types that are different and important to be aware of. Before we dig into the classroom activities, here is a quick refresher on the main communication types, their functions, and the best ways to foster these skills in students.

Verbal

Verbal communication is using spoken words to share ideas. This includes every day speech from talking with friends, to class discussions, to phone calls. The key for verbal communication is to speak confidently and clearly—something that students can hone over time with practice. Remind students of:

Tone of Voice. Encourage students to be aware of how tone can shape meaning.
Word Choice. Especially for school presentations, language should be direct and easy to understand. As a general rule of thumb, remind students to avoid filler words like “um” or “like.”
Purpose and Context. Ask students to examine why they’re speaking. Are they wanting to explain, connect, teach (or maybe just make someone laugh)? Clearer reasons will create clearer outcomes for communication in general.

Building Verbal Communication in the Classroom

Presentations: Create opportunities students can practice their verbal communication skills through class presentations, speeches, and activities. The more students are able to exercise public speaking, the more comfortable they can become talking in front of groups.
Daily Practice: Reflect and showcase active listening, turn-taking, and respectful disagreement in the classroom.
Modeling: Try and model clear communication in your own instructions with the class, making sure lectures are always clear, direct, and understandable.

Nonverbal

Nonverbal communication is sharing meaning without words. This can be shown through body language, facial expressions, or gestures. Though it may not seem as important, nonverbal communication plays a significant part in our everyday language and can completely transform the meaning and context of what we say. Remind students of:

Facial Expressions. Encourage students to be aware of the power of our facial expressions—even a simple furrow of the brow or annoyed roll of the eyes is enough to create tension in relationships.
Gestures. Try and bring awareness towards fidgeting, crossed arms, or over gesturing—especially for presentations and speeches.
Posture/Body Language. Remind students to examine what body language can reveal—someone closed in on themselves sends an upset or embarrassed message, while a person slouched in their seat tells others they’re tired or bored.
Eye Contact. Remind students to look people in the eye when they speak to show attentiveness and confidence.
Touch. Let students be mindful of culture and boundaries. Context and individual comfort matters.
Space. As a general rule of thumb, teach students to respect other people’s personal bubbles. Most of the time, the right distance between others communicates respect and social awareness.
Appearance. First impressions often start with appearance. This doesn’t mean knowing all the latest fashions–remind students that little things like ironing, removing stains, and choosing clothes that properly fit you tells people you’re ready and capable.

Building Nonverbal Communication Skills in the Classroom

Encourage Self-Taping. Encourage students to record themselves as practice before presentations or speeches so they become more aware of nervous habits while presenting.
Provide Feedback. For presentations, offer feedback while grading to bring more awareness to nonverbal mannerisms.
Make it Relevant. Stressing the importance of nonverbal communication skills and where they can count most—like job interviews and networking—can drive students to learn more.

Written

Written communication is sharing ideas through writing. This can be anything from essays to text messages. When someone is able to communicate clearly in their writing, it signifies strong attention to detail and credibility. Remind students of:

Clarity. No matter what it is they’re writing, clarity should come first. Remind students to reread everything they write and make sure nothing is undefined, vague, or underexplained.
Grammar. Remind students that spelling and grammar mistakes can make or break important material, like resumes or college essays. ⁵Make sure students double check—or encourage them to use online applications that point out errors.
Audience. Students should keep in mind who they’re writing to! Remind them to adjust for the audience and be respectful to those in authority positions.

Building Written Communication Skills in the Classroom

Provide Real-Life Practice. Give students the opportunity to practice their writing skills in different forms. Discuss the difference in tone, wording, and formatting with various types of writing they’re likely to encounter—like resumes or scholarship applications.
Provide Writing Feedback. For essays and written assignments, provide feedback based on clarity and readability, not just content.
Host Workshops. If time allows, dedicated workshop time to talk about important writing material like college essays, cover letters, or resumes can be invaluable for older students about to graduate.

Visual

Visual communication is using images to share information. This can be through pictures, charts, videos, drawings, or any visual medium with a purpose to convey meaning. Remind students of:

Consistency. Teach students to use the same font and color to keep a professional look, especially for important visuals like presentations or resumes.
Simplicity. A design with too much going on can distract from a message. Encourage students to keep visuals simple and supportive of what they’re trying to say.
Easy to See. Remind students to avoid blurry images, low quality and pixelated photos, or videos with poor audio and sound.

Building Visual Communication Skills in the Classroom

Provide Visual Critique. Point out when visual aids can be improved in presentations, PowerPoints, or video content.
Point to the Future. Discuss how visual communication is used in tons of different jobs like advertising, STEM fields, journalism, marketing, and presentations. Connecting to the future can keep students engaged in the present.
Peer Reviews. Allow students to exchange visuals with one another and give feedback on layout, clarity, and readability before final submission.

Digital

Digital communication is exchanging information through technology. This can be anything expressed or sent online—like emails, messages, or social media posts. Remind students to:

Think Before You Post. Remind students to be mindful of what they post. To create a profile that communicates who they are (and in turn, sets them up for success in the job market) consider introducing the concept of personal branding so they can put their best foot forward online.
Be Respectful. Teach students to be respectful when communicating with others on the Internet. Highlight how cyberbullying often comes with real-world consequences and can deeply hurt others.
Avoid Miscommunication. Especially online, it can be very easy for meaning and tone to get lost in translation. Remind students to avoid vagueness or sarcasm so their messages aren’t taken the wrong way.
Consider Sources. Not everything on the Internet is true or real. Build up critical thinking skills in the classroom and remind students to always consider sources and origins of information online.

Building Digital Communication Skills in the Classroom

Dig Deeper. Teach your class about privacy, cyberbullying, misinformation, and digital footprints to keep students more informed about Internet safety.
Teach Email Etiquette. Model appropriate email structure, tone, greetings, and closings when emailing students, providing an example of proper email etiquette.
Ask Questions. Encourage students to ask themselves questions when considering the validity of a source. Let them answer prompts like: where did this information come from? Does this make logical sense? Is there a hidden agenda in this opinion? (For more questions to help students evaluate information, read our Insights article on critical thinking skills!)

Skills to Help Internalize Communication

On top of expressing how we feel, the second half of communication that’s less talked about is interalization—how we process and respond to what others are saying. Developing these skills are just as important and make communication significantly more impactful for all parties. Here are some important notes for students to remember—and some reminder tips for how teachers can build up internalized communication skills in the classroom.

Active Listening

Active listening is fully listening and responding to what someone else is saying. Communication is a two way street—without active listening, we can’t fully process and understand what’s being told to us. Remind students to:

Pay Attention. Encourage students to give their full attention when someone else is speaking. This means no distractions, side conversations, or interrupting.
Ask Questions. Asking questions while talking with someone supports deeper connection and conversation. Encourage students to be curious and ask thoughtful inquiries in conversation to better understand the other person and topic.
Have Empathy. Teach students to listen with the goal of understanding, not debating. Empathetic listening fosters compassion, reduces conflict, and can create a positive classroom environment.

Building Active Listening Skills in the Classroom

Practice Active Note Taking. Teach students to take meaningful notes in class during lectures. Summarizing, highlighting main ideas, and adding questions are active listening techniques that can be used not just for academics but conversations with others.
Listening Norms. Establish classroom expectations like no interrupting and giving people the floor during discussions.
Modeling. Show active listening as you engage with students by not interrupting, asking questions, and showing genuine interest. Make sure the student feels valued by giving them your full attention and putting a pause on lesson planning or grading.

Reflection

Reflection is the ability to pause, look inward, and think about one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Self-analysis goes hand-in-hand with communication skills as students learn to process and understand the effect of their words. Remind students to:

Pause. Encourage students to take a moment before responding in conversations, discussions, or conflicts. Giving themselves space to think can help them respond with intention instead of reacting impulsively.
Identity Feelings. Pausing to reflect on emotions can help students make wiser communication choices. Are they nervous before a big presentation? Angry before sending a text message? Remind students that emotions often influence what we say. When feelings are overwhelming, encourage them to pause, take a deep breath, and ground themselves before they communicate.
Consider Impact. Words are hard to take back. Teach students to reflect on how impactful their words can be to others and encourage uplifting conversation in the classroom.

Building Reflection Skills in the Classroom

Use Reflection Prompts. Implement reflection prompts centered on communication to help students improve. Some examples may include: How did I feel during that presentation? Was my thesis statement clear? Was the overall message easy to understand? Bringing extra awareness can help students be honest with themselves as they continue to grow in their skills.
Journaling. Encouraging students to keep an in-class journal can help them become more aware of their academic process. Through written reflection, students can track what they find interesting or confusing in class, helping them communicate more clearly if they have questions.
Peer Debriefs. After group work or projects, have students meet briefly with partners to reflect on how they communicated. Short debriefs can help students better understand how they communicate and what they can improve on for next time.

(For more on this, check out our article on self-reflection for students! It includes more information, sample self-reflection prompts, and a free downloadable resource for students.)

Communication is a two-way street—without active listening and reflection, we can’t fully process and understand what’s being told to us.

Communication Activities for the Classroom

Communication activities can be a great way for students to hone in on their public speaking skills, nonverbal communication basics, and critical thinking skills. Below you’ll find a summary of the three activities that you can use in the classroom, so your students can develop communication skills in engaging, memorable ways (just click on the name to jump to the activity for more detailed instructions!).

Activity Name	Grade Range	Time Required	Materials Needed	Skills Targeted
Speech Practice	6th–12th grade	~20 minutes	Minimal	Creativity, critical thinking, verbal communication
Teacher for the Day	9th–12th grade	As needed	Minimal	Verbal and nonverbal communication, critical thinking
Shark Tank	8th–10th grade	~50 minutes	Minimal	Creativity and innovation, verbal and nonverbal communication, leadership skills
Tone Detectives	8th–12th grade	~20 minutes	Minimal	Written and digital communication, critical thinking

Activity 1: Speech Practice

For this hilarious activity, students debate against one another about various, off-the-wall topics. Not only does this game produce a lot of laughs, but it challenges students to use critical thinking skills by constructing a clear argument around different unique viewpoints.

Grade Range: 6th–12th grade
Group Size: Any
Time: ~20 minutes
Materials: None
Skills Practiced: Creativity, critical thinking, verbal communication

Step 1: Write

Ask the class to take out a piece of paper and write down a random person, place, thing, or idea. Once they’ve done that, collect all of their prompts into a hat.

Step 2: Combine

Before class, have another hat you’ve prepared yourself with various prompts for argument angles. Here are some examples to get you started:

____ should be a federal holiday.
____ is a secret alien technology.
____ should be banned nationwide.
____ is a bad influence on the next generation.
____ should have its own movie franchise.

Drawing from both hats, have students one at a time combine the two prompts to create a statement.

Step 3: Debate

A random student must be given one minute to argue their statement. The more ridiculous, the better! Not only do these debates call for funny combinations, but they require students to find unique angles to convince their class. At the end of the one minute, the class can either agree or disagree with the students’ statement by raising their hand or not. This game can continue to go on until all students have gotten a turn.

Activity 2: Teacher for the Day

This project requires students to go deeper on a project of their choosing and teach the class what they’ve learned. Not only does this promote deeper learning, but it gives students practice speaking in front of an audience and honing their verbal communication skills.

Grade Range: 9th–12th grade
Group Size: Any
Time: As needed
Materials: None
Skills Practiced: Verbal communication, nonverbal communication, critical thinking

Step 1: Pick a Topic

Whether you teach English, science, or history, write various topics from your lesson plans on a slip of paper. These can be entire concepts, vocab words, or topics that weren’t able to be explored thoroughly in class due to time. Put these topics in a hat, and have your students pick one at random. These will be their assigned topic to teach on a deeper level to the class.

Before their assigned time and day, encourage students to go dive into their topic, giving them total freedom as if they were the teachers. Let them know they can use visual aids, handouts, or conduct an activity—whatever they feel most comfortable with and would help the class learn best.

Step 2: Present

When it’s eventually students turn to teach their topic, let the feedback be not just content based but communication based. Are the students speaking clearly and loudly? How is their posture? Do they seem confident when they speak, or do they use lots of filler words? Giving students feedback will help them improve not just as presenters but communicators in everyday life.

Activity 3: Shark Tank

For this activity, students must team up and try to “sell” a made-up product to their teacher. Not only does this game engage students and foster creativity, it helps them become more confident public speakers in a fun and unique way.

Grade Range: 8th–12th grade
Group Size: Any
Time: ~50 minutes
Materials: White board
Skills Practiced: Verbal/nonverbal communication, creativity and innovation, leadership skills

Step 1: Explain

Divide students into groups of 2-5. Teaming up together, explain that each group must come up with a revolutionary product and pitch it to the class. Not only will they be “graded” on their creativity, but on their communication skills when it comes to presenting.

Step 2: Prepare

Give students time in class to prepare their product. Encourage them to go outside the box! Their product doesn’t have to make real, physical sense and can be open to whatever your students imagine. Some fun examples could be:

A sink that washes dishes for you
Animal language translator device
Pattern changing shirts

Once students have come up with their product, give them time to prepare. This could involve drafting up “prototypes”, coming up with slogans and taglines, or practicing their speech.

Step 3: Pitch

After students have been given enough time to prepare, give them five minutes in front of the class to pitch their product. This can involve explaining why the product would be useful, its benefits, or how much it would cost. These can be interesting and fun for the whole class as everyone sees different unique ideas and how creative some groups can be!

Once everyone in the class has gone, decide to “invest” in the group that exhibited the most clear, communicative messaging. Which group spoke clearly and loudly for everyone to hear? Which one made eye contact and used minimal notes? Did they explain their product well? Let these questions guide your final judging—letting the group set an example for the class of good presentation skills while still having fun.

Activity 4: Tone Detectives

In this activity, students must analyse and identify the intended message of various social media posts and messages. Not only are critical thinking skills used in this game, but students gain a better understanding of written and digital communication and how easily meaning can be construed online.

Grade Range: 8th–12th grade
Group Size: Any
Time: ~20 minutes
Materials: Fake social media posts created beforehand
Skills Practiced: Written and digital communication, critical thinking

Step 1: Create Posts

Before starting the game, create several fake social media posts and messages to be printed or displayed to the class. Here’s some examples to get you started:

A post of a birthday party with lots of people having fun. Someone has commented: “Thanks for an invitation, guys.”
A picture of cafeteria food. The caption says: “Looks amazing!”
A post of a retirement party for a teacher. Someone has commented: “Good riddance. No one even liked Mr. Johnsen.”
A student has posted a picture of their new haircut. Someone has commented: “Nice haircut.”

Without sharing with the class yet, come up with the true meaning and context behind each of these scenarios. Here’s an example for these posts:

The student who posted the birthday comment actually was invited to the party, but got sick. Their comment is sarcastic, but coming from a humorous place.
This student is looking forward to eating cafeteria food.
The person commenting is one of Mr. Johnsen’s favorite students. The comment is supposed to be funny and sarcastic.
The person who commented under the haircut post is giving a genuine compliment.

Step 2: Discuss

Display or pass out each post. Using context clues, have the class discuss the true meaning of each message. Let your students explain their reasoning.

Step 3: Reveal Context

Once the class has debated, reveal the context and what the true meaning of each message is. This game can be fun, but also extremely applicable to students as they gain a deeper understanding of how easily meaning can be swayed online. After each round, prompt students by asking:

What part of the message made you believe it was sarcastic or genuine?
Before you knew the context, how did you view this person based on their message alone?
How can you make sure your comments and messages come across clearly online?

Tips for Instilling Communication Skills in Students

There are tons of other ways to implement communication skills in the classroom that aren’t just through activities! Here are just a few basic ways to help students hone these skills every day:

Encourage Classroom Discussions: Whenever there’s an opportunity for classroom discussion, give students the floor to openly express their opinion. The more chances they have for speaking in the classroom, the more they can hone their verbal communication skills.
Be Intentional with Feedback: Make sure to give students feedback on their communication skills for various projects. Were they easy to follow in their essay, or was their train of thought difficult to follow? Did they speak clearly in their presentation and did they direct their speaking to the class? Giving constructive feedback on their communication skills will ultimately help them as they improve.
Promote Active Listening: The best way to promote active listening in the classroom is to make students feel like they’re being listened to themselves. Give your full attention when students have questions, responses, or answers.
Encourage Honesty in the Classroom: Check in with students and encourage them to be honest about lessons, assignments, and project workloads. Creating a positive classroom environment built on honesty can help foster open communication, because students will feel comfortable enough to voice their concerns and confusion. To prompt them, ask: What part of this doesn’t make sense? Do I need to go over anything again? Have I explained this assignment clearly enough?

Growing Through Communication Skills

Implementing and teaching communication skills in the classroom often require students to go outside of their comfort zones—but with practice, they can train themselves to show up every day with honesty, clarity, and confidence. As students continue to grow in their skills, remind them that at the end of the day, it’s all about making sure their voice is heard with respect and kindness.

This is the kind of information that schools don’t always explicitly teach, yet is so necessary for success in the real world. Which is why at ERA, we’re striving to bring life skills, like communication basics, to the classroom. Instead of Teaching to the Test, we’re Teaching to the Test of Life by preparing students for their life beyond graduation built on self awareness, empathy, and growth. Helping students become aware of essential life skills not only puts them at an advantage upon graduation, but helps them navigate life’s challenges with confidence.

If you agree, we’d love to hear from you! Check out our curriculum or contact us to get involved in our mission.

(P.S—don’t forget to download our free student-use handout that dives deeper into each communication type!)

References

Traits employers look for when hiring. CSE Connect | Brandeis International Business School. (2021, July 19). https://globalcareers.brandeis.edu/blog/2021/07/20/traits-employers-look-for-when-hiring/ ↩︎
Communication skills predict leaders at work. Communication skills predict who emerge as team leaders at work – UBNow: News and views for UB faculty and staff – University at Buffalo. (2022, February 17). https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2022/02/lemoine-communication-leadership.html ↩︎
Ginika, N. B. (2024). Impact of social media and communication skills on academic performance among Nigerian students in Imo State College of Education. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13-i3/22191 ↩︎
Stanikzai, M. I. (2023). Critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication skills among school students: A review paper. European Journal of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, 1(5), 441–453. https://doi.org/10.59324/ejtas.2023.1(5).34 ↩︎
Sterkens, P., Caers, R., De Couck, M., Geamanu, M., Van Driessche, V., & Baert, S. (2021). Costly mistakes: Why and when spelling errors in resumes jeopardise interview chances. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3900876 ↩︎