Table 2.

tSupport Course Elements

Week 1a	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8a
Starting conversations	Active listening	Nonverbal communication	Perception and communication styles	Dealing with difficult people	Selecting resources	Technology and communication	Reunion, assertive style, “I” messages
Welcome Introductions Overview - topics Teleconference norms Teleconference procedures Conversation startersb list and discussion, e.g. Are you comfortable as a leader or a follower? Best communicator – who is the best you’ve met or seen? Why? Listening testc exercise Home assignment Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Lecturette and read Please just listend aloud followed by group discussion Conversation: observations of conversations this week, emphasis on questions from homework Generation of action commitments Other home assignments Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Action commitments from last week Lecturette: Nonverbal communication (facial expression, eye contact, tone of voice, pace, personal space, etc.) Conversation about experiences of nonverbal communication Generation of action commitments Other home assignments Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Action commitments from last week Lecturette: Perceptions of purpose of communication often differs, e.g. male/female communication Conversation: examples of communication with misperceptions or misunderstood purposes Generation of action commitments Other home assignments Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Action commitments from last week Lecturette: Difficult peoplee (indecisive, know-it-all, agreeable, complainer, negativist, etc.) Conversation: Examples of conversations with difficult people Generation of action commitments for next week Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Action commitments from last week Lecturette: what are resources? People, places and things as resources. National Institutes of Health guidelines for selecting medical resources onlinef, avoiding “quackery,” confidentiality online. Conversation: good resources. Generation of action commitments Other home assignments Overview of next week’s topic	Welcome Roll-call Action commitments from last week Lecturette: Electronic technology - connected and disconnected; cell phones, conference calls, social networking Conversation: How does technology affect the quantity and quality of interpersonal communication Generation of action commitments Other home assignments Book selections Overview of reunion	Welcome Distribution of resource books from week 7 Roll-call Review agenda Action commitments from last week Lecturette: Resource list generated by class in weeks 6 & 7 (hand-out) Lecturette: Assertive communication Conversation: Assertive communication examples Conversation: Practicing “I” messages Reading and discussion: Six Conversationsg Adjourn
Homework assignments
Group assignment: Observe people having conversations this week. Reflect on: (1) What does it mean to really listen? (2) How do you feel when you are really listened to? (3) What gets in the way of good listening? (4) What new listening skill would you like to adopt? Read Please just listend	Individual action commitments Prepare for next call: (1) Why is nonverbal communication important? (2) What nonverbal behaviors do you typically use in conversation? (3) What nonverbal behaviors may be difficult to interpret? (4) How does culture affect nonverbal communication? (5) Is there a nonverbal communication you’d like to change? (6) What nonverbal skill would you like to adopt?	Individual action commitments Prepare for next call: (1) How do your own expectations affect your communication style? (2) What can you do to listen for the purpose of conversation? (3) What do you typically do if you don’t agree with another person’s view- point? (4) What have you noticed about how men and women communicate differently? (5) What challenges do you have in seeking to understand?	Individual action commitments Prepare for next call: (1) What types of difficult people have you interacted with lately? (2) What are their reasons for “being difficult?” (3) How do they communicate with you? (4) How do you respond to difficult communication? (5) What are some strategies for communicating with difficult people? (6) What strategies would you like to try out in the next week?	Individual action commitments Prepare for next call: Pay attention to how many times you interrupt or are interrupted this week.	Group assignment: Bring a credible health or communication resource to share Prepare for next call: (1) How have digital technologies affected your communication with others? (2) How have they improved your life? (3) What have they made worse? (4) How has “being wired” affected social connections? Select 2 books from list provided (communication or transplant or renal diet) for staff to provide at reunion.	Group assignment: Observe the quality and quantity of your digital usage and determine if it’s the right balance for you Prepare for the next meeting: Take the assertive, passive, aggressive communication quiz and bring to the reunion	N/A

^aTelephone-adapted Structured Support weeks 1 and 8 were in-person workshops, 1.5 hours each; all others were 60 minute teleconferences

^bAdapted from “Conversation starters.” Family table topics. http://www.familytreemd.org/files/387_TFT%20Conversation%20Starter%20FLYER.pdf Accessed 10/30/13

^cGraf, LA, Perrachione, JR (1983). Effective listening: an exercise in managerial communication, Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 10, 17–20.

^dSwick, J. (2008). Please just listen. Poem hunter. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/please-just-listen/ Accessed 21 March 2014.

^eAdapted from Benjamin, SF (2008). Perfect Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Handling Conflict, Confrontations and Challenging Personalities. New York: McGraw-Hill.

^fAdapted from “10 Things to Know About Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web.” 2006. National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). http://nccam.nih.gov/health/webresources/ Accessed 21 March 2014.

^gKlein, D. (unknown). Six Conversations. DesignedLearning® a Peter Block Company. http://www.designedlearning.com/six-conversations/ Accessed 21 March 2014.