Lesson
1
Building Health Skills
Taking responsibility for your health begins with a
commitment to take charge of your actions and behaviors
in a way that reduces risks and promotes wellness.
Lesson
1
Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, you will learn to:
• Demonstrate communication skills to build and maintain
healthy relationships
• Describe refusal strategies and conflict resolution skills
• Formulate self-management strategies
• Assess influences on behavior
• Identify evaluation criteria for health information
Lesson
1
Building Health Skills
Health Skills
The first step in taking responsibility for your health is to
develop health skills.
Lesson
1
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
ACTIVITY
Lesson
1
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal Communication
One of the traits of a health-literate individual is having
effective communication skills. Interpersonal communication
involves not only making yourself heard but also being a good
listener.
Effective communication skills involve:
• Clearly saying what you mean.
• Paying attention to how you say something.
• Being a good listener.
Lesson
1
Effective Communication?
Lesson
1
Active Listening
Lesson
1
The POWER of Non-Verbal Communication
Our posture and non-verbal communication: eye contact, facial expressions, appearance,
movement, body language and gestures play a major role in our ability to communicate
passionately.
Posture and carriage are excellent indicators of one’s confidence, comfort level,
experience and attitude.
We simply need to be aware of the messages we’re sending and adjust our non-verbals
accordingly.
•
Hands Down:
Relaxed
Confident
Open
Hands at the sides is EXCELLENT posture. With your hands at your sides, you appear open,
eager, confident and seasoned.
•
Hands on Hips: “You gotta problem with that?”
Challenging
Defiant
Overbearing
•
Arms Crossed: “I’m not buying what you’re saying?”
Closed off
Restrained
Practice by noticing where you and others place their hands, especially when under
pressure.
Lesson
1
Interpersonal Skills
Refusal Skills
Refusal skills can be used to handle situations in which you are
asked do something that you know is harmful or wrong.
Sometimes you must reinforce your decision to say no.
• Say NO in a firm voice.
• Explain why.
• Suggest alternatives.
• Use appropriate body language.
• Leave if necessary.
Lesson
1
Interpersonal Skills
Conflict Resolution Skills
• In addition to practicing effective refusal skills, it is
important to develop and apply strategies for dealing with
conflicts or disagreements and avoiding violence.
• The key to conflict resolution is respecting others’ rights
and your own.
Lesson
Interpersonal Skills
1
Steps When Dealing with a Conflict Situation
Take time to calm
down and think
through the situation.
When discussing the
conflict, speak calmly
and listen attentively,
asking questions when
appropriate.
Use a polite tone and
try to brainstorm
solutions where no
one loses respect.
Lesson
Self-Management Skills
1
Practicing Healthful Behaviors
Eat nutritious foods.
Get regular medical and
dental checkups.
Express your feelings in
healthful ways.
Build your self-esteem.
Maintain healthy
relationships.
Lesson
1
Self-Management Skills
Managing Stress
• Stress, the body’s and mind’s reactions to everyday
demands, is a natural part of life.
• Learning stress management will become increasingly
important as you assume more responsibility for your health
and take on additional roles as an adult.
Lesson
1
Analyzing Influences
Factors Influencing Your Health
Internal Influences
External Influences
Internal influences include your knowledge, values,
likes, dislikes, and desires.
These are based on your experiences and your
perspective on life.
Lesson
1
Accessing Information
Reliable Sources of Health Information
• Parents, guardians, and other
trusted adults
• Library resources
• Reliable Internet sites
• Newspapers and magazines
• Government agencies and health
organizations
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1
Advocacy
What Is Advocacy?
• Advocacy enables you to positively influence the health of
those around you.
• You can help others become informed and publicly support
health causes that concern and interest you.
• Encouraging family, friends, peers, and community members to
practice healthful behaviors is one way to practice health
advocacy.
Lesson
1
Analyzing Influences
Factors Influencing Your Health
Internal Influences
External Influences
External influences come from outside sources.
These include your family, your friends and peers,
your environment, your culture, laws, and the
media.
Lesson
Building Health Skills
1
Health Skills
The first step in taking responsibility for your health is to
develop health skills.
A health skill is a
specific tool and
strategy that helps you
maintain, protect, and
improve all aspects of
your health.
Lesson
1
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal Communication
One of the traits of a health-literate individual is having
effective communication skills. Interpersonal communication
involves not only making yourself heard but also being a good
listener.
Interpersonal
Effective communication
skills involve: is the
communication
exchange of thoughts,
• Clearly saying what you mean.
feelings, and beliefs
more
• Paying attention to between
how you two
say or
something.
people.
• Being a good listener.
Lesson
1
Interpersonal Skills
Refusal Skills
Refusal skills can be used to handle situations in which you are
asked do something that you know is harmful or wrong.
A refusal
skillreinforce
is a
Sometimes
you must
your decision to say no.
communication strategy
• Say
NO
in help
a firm
voice.
that
can
you
say no
when you
• Explain
why.are urged to
take part in behaviors
that arealternatives.
unsafe or
• Suggest
unhealthful, or that go
• Use
appropriate
body language.
against
your values.
• Leave if necessary.
Lesson
Interpersonal Skills
1
Conflict Resolution Skills
• In addition to practicing effective refusal skills, it is
important to develop and apply strategies for dealing with
conflicts or disagreements and avoiding violence.
• The key to conflict resolution is respecting others’ rights and
your own.
Conflict
resolution is the
process of solving a
disagreement through
cooperation and
problem solving.
Lesson
1
Self-Management Skills
Managing Stress
• Stress, the body’s and mind’s reactions to everyday
demands, is a natural part of life.
• Learning stress management will become increasingly
important as you assume more responsibility for your health
and take on additional roles as an adult.
Stress
management is a
way to deal with or
overcome the
negative effects of
stress.
Lesson
1
Advocacy
What Is Advocacy?
• Advocacy enables you to positively influence the health of
those around you.
Advocacy
is takinginformed and publicly support
• You can help
others become
tothat
influence
healthaction
causes
concern and interest you.
others to address a
health-related
concernpeers, and community members to
• Encouraging
family, friends,
or healthful
to support
a health-is one way to practice health
practice
behaviors
related belief.
advocacy.