Freshmen Practice Communication Skills with Community Members

February 20, 2025

In late February, Batesville High School (BHS) Freshman Community students explored developing professional skills, gaining valuable insights from local professionals as they continue to work toward developing the qualities included in the Batesville Community School Corporationā€™s (BCSC) Bulldog Ready Portrait of a Graduate. The event focused on sharpening communication skills through practice and feedback while emphasizing the key attributes of confidence and empathy. 

Students engaged in five ā€œadulting skillsā€ rotations:

Rotation 1:  Practicing 3-minute conversations (#BulldogReady goal:  sharpening communication skills and showing empathy)

Scenarios included meeting a significant otherā€™s parents, talking to a checkout clerk at the grocery store, going through the line at the funeral home, talking to adults at a family gathering, and many more.

Rotation 2:  How to call and make an appointment (#Bulldog Ready goal:  sharpening communications skills)

Students called the BCSC administration building, where staff answered the phone, pretending to be the office with which the student needed to make an appointment.

Rotation 3:  How to address an envelope (#BulldogReady goal:  expand community awareness)

Students addressed envelopes for notes they had written, thanking community partners for their help with the Bulldog Ready community-connected learning model.

Rotation 4:  How to tie a tie (#Bulldog Ready goal: confidence)

Students practiced this skill with teachers.

Rotation 5:  How to dress for work (business casual versus casual; business professional versus business formal) (#Bulldog Ready goal:  confidence)

Students were provided with a scenario for work and had to select from among sample clothing pieces what would be appropriate to wear, given the occasion.

Continue reading about this experience here.