Reading the Room
A classmate is smiling, facing you, and asking questions as you tell a story. These cues suggest they may be…
Interested in your story
Listening to what you are saying
Friendly and polite
Two students get the same lower-than-expected test score. One shrugs; the other looks upset. This shows that…
The score doesn't upset one person but does upset the one who looks upset.
People can experience the same things in different ways
A classmate drops their books and looks okay but is having trouble picking them up. A simple way to show care is to…
Help them pick up the books without saying anything
You accidentally interrupt a classmate who is speaking. One helpful response is to…
Apologize for interrupting and ask them to finish what they were saying
A classmate is telling you about their weekend. One way to show you are listening is to…
Face your body toward them
Make eye contact
Ask questions about what they are saying
Nod your head
Your group is quietly working, and the teacher has asked everyone to focus. This is a good time to…
Quietly work on your assignment
Raise your hand to ask a question or get help
Your friend does not reply to your message right away. Before deciding they are ignoring you, consider…
If they are busy
They may not have their phone
You notice someone is quiet. A respectful way to check in is to…
Quietly approach them and ask if they are okay or if they need anything
Your friends are making plans while one person nearby is not included. Before acting, you could…
Ask the group of friends why the other person wasn't included in the conversation
You are tempted to interrupt with your own story while a friend is talking. A helpful choice is to…
Continue to listen to your friend and engage in their story
After they are finished ask if you can tell them your story
At lunch, your friend gives short answers and keeps looking toward the door. Instead of assuming what they feel, you could…
Ask if they are busy
Ask if they are okay
Ask if they need to go somewhere
A new student stays quiet during a group activity. One possible reason, among many, is…
They may be nervous about being in the new class
They may be unsure of their answer
They haven't made friends yet
You hear two friends disagreeing about a private matter. Unless someone is unsafe, a respectful choice is to…
Allow them to have their conversation and leave them alone
A teammate seems frustrated and says, “Fine, do it yourself,” during a project. A useful first step is to…
Take a step back and ask why they are frustrated or what part of the project they would like to work on
You are not sure you understood your partner’s directions for a class activity. You could…
Ask them to explain the directions again
Tell them what part you don't understand
You want to tell a funny story, but your friend is visibly upset after getting difficult news. A thoughtful way to read the moment is to…
Your friend may not be ready to hear something funny
Check in on your friend to see if you can support them in some way
You think a group project went well, but your partner says they felt left out. To understand their viewpoint, you could…
Ask why they felt that way
Ask what part of the project they would like to do or would have liked to do
A friend says, “I don’t want to talk about it,” after you ask if they are okay. You can show care while respecting their boundary by…
Telling them that you understand and if they want to talk later you are here for them
You disagree with a friend’s post in a group chat, and others are piling on. You can respond without escalating by…
Suggesting everyone chat in person
Not say anything in the moment
Talking to your friend privately
A friend shares a problem, and you immediately think of advice. Before offering it, you might…
In a group chat, several people stop replying after a joke about someone. You are unsure whether they are busy, uncomfortable, or simply done chatting. A careful next step is to…
Reach out to a close friend within the group and check in to see if everyone is okay
Your team chooses a weekend meeting time that works for most people, but one teammate cannot attend because of a family responsibility. A fair way to consider their perspective is to…
They may not get to see their family very often
That their family rules is that family comes first
You see a classmate being repeatedly targeted online. You want to help, but posting a public reply might draw more attention to them. A thoughtful response is to…
Message them privately and see if you can help them
During a group project, one student is quiet, another is taking over, and the deadline is near. A balanced next step would be to…
Ask to review what jobs everyone has in the project so no one feels left out and no one can "take over"
In a group discussion, two classmates explain different ideas while others are waiting to speak. A way to help everyone feel heard is to…
Take turns and let everyone share their ideas before making a group decision