Introduction
High school students often share spaces with others, and inevitably, they will encounter situations where someone is doing something they find distracting or annoying. In these situations, it’s essential to equip students with the skills to address the issue calmly and politely. This blog post will discuss how to teach students to effectively communicate their concerns while maintaining a positive classroom environment.
No-Prep Activity: The Polite Request Role-Play
This activity aims to help students practice addressing annoying behaviors in a respectful and polite manner. The role-play activity requires no preparation or materials and can be done in pairs or small groups.
- Ask students to think of a situation where someone is doing something that bothers them. Examples could include tapping a pen, humming, or talking loudly.
- Have students form pairs or small groups and assign roles: one person will be the one doing the annoying behavior, and the other(s) will address the issue.
- Ask students to role-play the situation, focusing on staying calm, politely asking the person to stop the behavior, and explaining why it’s bothering them.
- After the role-play, have students switch roles and practice again with a different scenario.
- Once all students have had a chance to practice, facilitate a group discussion about the experience, what they learned, and how they can apply these skills in real-life situations.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it important to stay calm when addressing someone’s annoying behavior?
- How can you ensure that your request is polite and respectful?
- What are some challenges you might face when trying to communicate your concerns to someone?
- How can you handle a situation where the person doesn’t respond positively to your request?
- Why is it essential to thank the person when they change their behavior?
Related Skills
Teaching students to address annoying behaviors politely is just one aspect of fostering a positive classroom environment. Other related skills that can help students navigate social situations and maintain healthy relationships include:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Conflict resolution
- Assertiveness
- Respect for others
Next Steps
Helping students develop polite communication skills for addressing annoying behaviors is an important aspect of social-emotional learning. To further enhance your students’ abilities in this area and explore other related skills, we encourage you to sign up for free samples of our skill-building materials. These resources can support you in creating a more harmonious and productive classroom environment for your high school students.
