Communication Strategies Faculty Resources: Clarifying

At college and at work, students will use this strategy to:

• Confirm that a message has been successfully received and understood
• Clarify the details of a message for the receiver
• Invite the sender to confirm the details of the message
• Communicate understanding through email, chat, meetings and shared documents
• Participate effectively in group work by confirming shared goals, build on meaning, confirm roles and responsibilities, and respond to non-verbal feedback

Read about developing the strategy of "clarifying" with your students in the Faculty Blog post: Communication Strategies: Clarifying.

To learn about using paraphrasing to clarify a message, students can:

• Watch this LinkedIn Learning video (Note: use your RRC email and password to log-in)

To learn more about clarifying the details of a message, students can:

• Read this web-page on phrases to use to confirm information.

To learn strategies and language for giving and receiving feedback, students can review:

• Giving Feedback Guide
• Language for Giving and Receiving Feedback

Students can access the following resources through Library & Academic Services to develop this strategy:

• Writing Tutoring, for individualized in-person and email support to develop writing skills, and to help develop clarification skills through writing. 
• EAL Tutoring, for individualized language development for students whose first language is not English, which can help develop students' ability to clarify both through writing and speaking.