In week seven, the topic of counterproductive communication builds on week six, which generally focuses on skills related to communication. Communication occurs all the time, through both verbal and nonverbal patterns. As social workers, we have an obligation to examine how we communicate and make an effort not to create barriers that hinder free communication. The agenda for class this week is as follows:

• Parts and best practices of verbal and nonverbal communication
• Verbal communication
• Barriers to communication

Learning objectives include:

• Identify and describe common counterproductive communication patterns and interviewing roadblocks.
• Evaluate and apply verbal and nonverbal communication techniques to strengthen therapeutic rapport.
• Reflect on how implicit bias and personal communication styles influence engagement.