Citare / Citation

Calin, R.A. (2015). Evaluation and Development of the Communication Competences of

Counselors using the ”Role Playing” Method, în volumul Conferinței Internaționale
Education and Creativity for a Knowledge based Society, 9 th Edition, November 19-21, 2015,
Bucharest, ISSN 2248-0064, ISBN 978-3-9503145.

Evaluation and Development of the Communication Competences of Counselors Using

the ”Role Playing” Method

Călin Răzvan-Alexandru
Senior Lecturer, PhD, Teacher Training Department - University of Craiova
GCDF Counselor
Email address: calinrazvanalexandru@yahoo.com , cra_psi@yahoo.com

Abstract
The communication is an essential part of the counseling process, both the effectiveness and the results of this
process depending on it.
The understanding of the communication and competence concepts representing the starting point, the
communication competence concept was put into operation, as a compulsory condition to reveal the indicators
required in the primary evaluation activity.
For the further training and forming activities, the ”role playing” active-participative method was chosen,
relevant issues resulted, having a clear applicative character in the counselor training field.

About the Communication and the Communication Competence as a Counseling Activity Tool

Counselors have always been preoccupied - intuitively or consciously - to find the most appropriate
communication means, aiming to be well understood while sharing information, knowledge, experience, but also
about the manner of formulation of the demands they address to their clients.
Within the counseling context, the communication concepts conduct towards a number of definitions.
The communication concept itself comes from the Latin word comunis, which means to have a common
possession. Fundamentally, this act of possession refers to be in common possession of the same meanings,
which is a very important process and also difficult in inter-human communication, the reasons being notified by
the majority of the communication theories.
In the special literature, several ways of defining the communication are found: the communication is a
process where people transmit information, ideas and share feelings (D.Hymens); the communication is a
process where a person (named emitter) transmits information (a message) to another person (named receiver)
(J.Habermas); the communication is the action of formulation and reception of messages, which can be disturbed
by noises, takes place within a certain context, supposes certain effects and gives feedback opportunities (J.A.
De Vito).
The situation is essential when defining the communication; it is considered as an intentional organization of
elements, for a certain purpose, culminating by the message transmitting a meaning within a theme.
It is obvious that the communication process is achieved by using verbal and non-verbal languages helping to
exchange messages (information, ideas, feelings, intentions etc.) in order to exert an influence (in a certain way),
mostly qualitatively, over the other person behaviour. The human communication is not only a psycho-physical
activity of verbal agreement between two or several persons in order to achieve certain tasks, but is also a
psycho-social process of influencing through specific language the attitudes, the behaviours of the receivers and
interlocutors.
In this context, we agreed to define the competence as a whole, structured and emergent of knowledge and
thinking and attitude models, affective states, values and representations, behaviours, actions and habits which
determine a person ability of playing certain roles and achieving certain specific professional tasks at a high
performance level, under diverse professional contexts and situations (Iosifescu, S., 2004).
The present approach starts from the premise that we cannot talk about a separation between the
competences, such as management competences, communication competences, problem solving competences,
etc., the only operational vision is the one that includes these competences into a competence system in general
and into a counselor competence system in particular.
 By definition, the competences have triple origin - vocational, formative and experiential - and we are not
able to discuss about having a certain competence except the case when all these three sources have been
profitably used - even if some persons could have certain competences (or competence constituents only) mostly
from vocation, others especially as a consequence of a formative process and some others mostly from
experience (Iosifescu, S., 2004).
The competences are applicable according to the situation – they are differently updated in different
situations, training the capability of reflexive practicing of the counselor profession being indispensable - this is
one of the reasons we consider our own person as a favorite field of the professional development.
We decided that the competence separation only can be made for research purpose, with an analysis role, the
integration into a holistic approach is subsequently absolutely necessary.
The counseling process quality depends in overwhelming measure on the quality of the communicative
processes stated between the counselor and the client, the results of the counseling process being highly superior
when the two generic participants in the relationship are true partners, being able to switch their roles:
emitter/receiver; receiver/emitter. So, the quality of the communication processes stated between the generic
partners, counselor – advised person, depends on the communicative potential of each of the two members, the
communication relationships have to be explicitly cultivated.
We make the distinction between two types of aptitudes/abilities (= competences – author note), dominant
within the formative/counseling exercise: the ability/aptitude of the trainer/counselor to operate with the
specialty contents and those to operate with the interpersonal contents.
We consider they both are indispensable to the counselor. There is the possibility they are complementary or
they act in different ways. So that some counselors are very able in the process of contents transmission: they
can be easily understood, they know how to stimulate the knowledge interests, they achieve an adequate
evaluation of the client participation degree, but they have lower relationship abilities.
We sustain the recognition for the counselor, along with his status of specialist in the fields related to the
counseling and orientation activities, also the status of competent communication specialist (which is implicit to
the counseling process), for the possession of only one of these abilities would affect unfavorably the counselor
professionalism.

About how the Competence Communication Concept becomes Operational

Aiming to reveal the defining characteristics of the counselor communication competence, we set going by
consulting a number of experts.
Therefore, a number of 12 psychological, educational and carrier building experts have been questioned, and
they were asked to specify in writing a list of 10 defining characteristics of the counselor communication
competence.
Following the data centralization, a list resulted containing 12 communication competence characteristics
which have been significantly frequent mentioned. The 12 experts have been asked again to make this time an
hierarchy of the 12 characteristics and they had to mention for each one 3 behaviour types defining the
respective characteristic feature.
The analysis of the resulted scores (using in this purpose the evaluation scale with behavioristic anchors –
S.E.A.C., proposed by Smith and Kendall, presented in Pitariu, 2000) determined to establish the defining
characteristics features of the counselor communication competence, of the associated behavioristic anchors
respectively, as shown in Table 1.

Competence components
1. Disposition of the …adequate disposition of the furniture pieces
environment where the …providing a pleasant, stimulating atmosphere prior to the counseling sitting
counseling activity …adequate utilization of the counseling sitting span, respecting the introduction,
shall carry on content and conclusion elements
…natural developing order of the counseling activity, with no unnecessary interruption
…selection and introducing content elements meant to arouse the client attention and
2. A conduct meant to confidence
induce sensibility, …the client is encouraged to involve himself in the counseling activity, his
encouragement and contribution is appreciated
motivation to the client …calm answers, using adequate words to the client questions
… the counselor interventions are frequently connected to the client answers
… he understands and shows to the client he understands the client’s feelings
3.Active listening/ …he pays attention and shows that
comprehension …he uses tactfully the silent moments
…he answers to the discussion subject/theme by paraphrasing the content
communicated by the client
 …looks into the interlocutor’s eyes
4. Observation conduct …removes any disturbing factor that can distract the client attention
…attentively watches the nonverbal/paraverbal conduct of the client
…adopts an adequate attitude/mimic
…he expresses easily, coherent, has no oral difficulties
5.Verbal …approves, stimulates and encourages the client to follow his idea
communication …presents arguments for any new proposed idea
conduct …shows during his speech a relaxed, calm, kind attitude
…the questions asked are clearly understood by the client
6. Question …the questions asked are correctly expressed and properly directed
formulation and …the addressing mode is clear, concise, the questions are precise, punctual
asking …the questions are direct, with no digressions from the discussion subject
…he shows understanding concerning the importance of the discussed subject for the
7. Giving feedback client
possibility; Empathy …he shows interest and preoccupation for the client and his problems
showing … he reformulates the ideas expressed by the client
…he summarizes the ideas expressed by the client
…he has a correct body attitude, nice body aspect, with various mobility, adapted to the
8.Psycho-motional situation
conduct …adequate motional reactions, well - balanced movements
…moderate gestures
…coordination between gestures and the expressed ideas
…makes use of a large register of significant interpretation and substitution gestures
9. Non-verbal conduct …makes use of voice inflections, variation and subtle differences in the mimic
expression
…accompanies the verbal conduct with facial expressions and encouraging, bracing
gestures
…maintains a permanent visual contact with the client

Table 1.

About the Communication Competences Evaluation

In this research approach we selected the questionnaire technique, as it allows us to evaluate a large number
of subjects as well as an easy observation of the results.
A self-evaluation questionnaire has been given the counselors together with a questionnaire for the same
counselors competences evaluation that the counselors - subjects of this research - has been given to some
clients.
We notice that the difficulties appeared when utilizing this method come from the fact that, on one side the
answers the counselors gave could be subjective and, on the other side, the possible intuition of the goals aimed
by this research can distort the issues.
In order to reduce this effect, the questionnaire selected was based on the same items that we consider to be
essential in defining the communication competences, but presented under the form of some evaluative questions
addressed to the clients of the reference counselors or to the observers.
The drawing up of the questionnaires
In order to study the communication competences, a 9 subscale questionnaire has been drawn up,
corresponding to the 9 items. Each item has been made operational using 4 questions, the scale of each question
varying from 1 to 5 [1 - never; 2 - in a small measure (a few times); 3 - in some measure (sometimes); 4 - in a
large measure (most of the times); 5 - always].
We notice that for the questions having a negative sense, the answer variant grid has been inverted, so that
the score correspond to the 1 - 5 scale.
The score determination
Each subject answered the questionnaire and received a score that could vary from 5 to 20 for each
subscale/item and, for the communication competences from 45 to 180. The smaller the score, the weaker the
communication competences of the subjects are.
The investigated population
In order to evaluate the counselor communication competences, the questionnaire was applied to 10
applicants aged from 25 to 40 years. The investigated population sample included city dwellers only.
The questionnaire application
 To apply a questionnaire, the individual test technique has been used, the answering time varied from 15 to
40 minutes. Data gathering took 7 days, no major difficulties appeared.
Data presentation and analysis
This research, structured around the role playing, aimed to evaluate the initial stage of some specific
behaviours, that can be comparable to the communication competences and detection of some particular features
of the behaviour according to the situations, age or the type of gender of the subjects, as well as according to the
(professional) activities previously carried on (simultaneously with the counseling activity).

About the Counselors Communication Competence Development

Relying upon the results obtained following the evaluation of the initial stage of the communication
competences of counselors, an individualized program shall be organized in order to develop the communication
competence components which are identified to show a deficit, for each counselor individually.
This training program shall rely upon the role playing method, starting from the premise that playing a role
with the goal of learning the reference social role, of becoming familiar with its prerogatives, of being aware of
the difficulties of some real counseling situations (both from the counselor and the client perspective) he will be
confronted with after graduation, of developing the spontaneity and adaptability features, all these are meant to
make easier the acquisition of those competences (including the communication competences) that constitute the
puzzle pieces forming the whole picture of a “good counselor”.
In the same time, taking into account the large spectrum of interests of today students, in the general meaning
of the term, we consider that the role playing becomes a motivational factor in communication competences
development, from a formative and psychological perspective. The more instructive is the activity, the more
increased the motivation will be. By the transformation of the learning/training condition into a communication
condition, with personal significance for the applicants to this training, the premises are created for a clear
increase of the motivation concerning the formation/self-formation of communication competences defining the
counselor.
Possible activities
In case that the initial evaluation shall reveal the training applicant has not or has insufficiently developed
one of the communication competences components, a role playing is to be organized - according to the well
known method (steps to follow, specific procedures) applied to any role playing, as an active-participative
formative method -, the applicant being asked to play the role of “the counselor extremely preoccupied by …
and here the component in deficit is to be mentioned”.
Taking into account the fact that as concerns the counseling field, two roles (parts) are fundamental - the
counselor and the client - we will deal next, in short, with the client role:
The training applicants are notified that at the future course meeting they will have the opportunity to be
counselors, to develop a counseling activity in front of their fellows. As each one of them shall become a
counselor, it is necessary that each one of them prepare seriously for this task. In order to make their
preparation easier, they shall be informed about what exactly they have to do, where they can find the
bibliographic documentation, how long the counseling meeting should take (there is also the variant not to
inform the applicants about the documentation sources, but this must be strictly evaluated, observing the
opportunities and the consequences). At the next meeting, three applicants should be selected to play the
counselor role. Each one of them, in his turn, passes through the indicated counseling meeting stage. While one
of them is counseling, the others remain outside of the room. Their class fellows have the task to pay attention to
the counseling content and to the different role behaviours used by each of the applicants (the tasks of the
participants could be even more differentiated. This variation depends on the trainer creativity and imagination.
For example, one can be asked to play the role of a difficult client, and so on).
At the end of this activity, several steps are followed:
- firstly, in front of their class fellows, the actors of the play are interviewed about how they played their
role, how they felt during the counseling time, what difficulties they had to overcome etc.
- then, together with all the applicants, the scientific approach of the meeting shall be discussed. Now it is
the moment to point out the different omissions, to correct errors, to exemplify and to explain certain concepts,
to precise and clearly differentiate the defining features of the theoretical contents and procedures, the
relationships between them shall be emphasized, which represents a support to all the applicants (including the
“actors”) for a better understanding of the meaning and the significance of the knowledge implied in this action.
It is important that this entire discussion should be performed with the help of all the applicants.
- finally, all the applicants shall discuss about both the correct development of some role behaviours (the role
assimilation, cognitive difficulties surpassing, emotion control, the ways of breaking a deadlock, communication
with the client during counseling etc.), and also about the extent of their achievement. At this occasion, clearly
appears that in order to be a good counselor, the special knowledge only is not enough, but the procedural
knowledge is absolutely necessary as well as a number of communication competences - and their correlation
only is able to provide the counselor the professional-active competence. Relying upon a comparative analysis,
the counseling behaviours of the three applicants have been evaluated, finding in the same time which one of
them has been the most efficient under the given conditions.
In order to fulfill its formative role from the point of view of the communication competences of a counselor,
this activity should be repeated at least three times for each applicant playing the counselor role, corroborating
the formative results of the organization, participation and assisting to the development of such activities, to
provide for the acquisition of defining components of the compulsory, we consider, communication competences
under the present context, to any counselor.
The preceding activity can be completed by series of “mini-activities” (Zlate, M., & Zlate, C., 1982) having
a formative role from the perspective of the communication competences, such as:
a. Presentation of some points of view and resuming them by assuming another point of view;
The reflection from the perspective of another possible participant represents a provocation for the
imagination and a competition for finding a manner of expression more adapted to the imagined context. The
extrapolation can be extended up to asking the applicants to present from the perspective of an object or person
in the room or of an insect flying inside the room during the counseling activity…
Describing the developing activities from the perspective of another point of view is a new, more refined
activity, aiming the profound progress inside a functional space, the imagination control and the development of
the empathic capabilities.
b. Preparation of acting/role playing
Working as a team, the applicants discuss about the manner of acting, about the way they have to play a role,
in case that this is up to them. The discussions also refer to the solutions to be adopted in different situations
raised during the respective role playing, how the voice has to be changed, how they have to look the audience…
etc. This activity represents the last debate before “getting under the skin” of the character. The role playing
supposes to see the world through the eyes of that character, this ability being acquired during the previous
activities.
c. Acting and evaluation
During “acting”, the audience (represented by the other applicants) has to pay attention to the overall
picture and to the details as well. No strict discipline is required, because it is thought that the applicants to this
training are normally preoccupied about the stage setting of the play. On the contrary, a ”difficult” client
behaviour should be set up, aiming to discern the different behaviours of the ”counselor” meant to control the
new situation “appeared”. After playing the counselor role, the applicant-actor shall discuss with the audience
in order to evaluate the activity. These debates, analyses and evaluations provide the formative component of the
communication competences development model feedback using the role playing.
Moreover, the critic observations, error finding and identification of possible solutions to correct them in the
future represent a new opportunity for the applicants to express themselves, to present their ideas, to
communicate.
The activities we have proposed are generally applicable to any kind of training approach relying upon the
role playing method, this being presented in details in the work “Knowledge and stimulation of social groups”
(Zlate, M., & Zlate, C., 1982).

Conclusions

The conclusions resulted following this evaluative - formative approach allow us to discern a number of
statements:
1. The counselors who have/had a teaching activity are more competent from the point of view of the
communication than other categories of counselors;
2. The communication competences can be improved by learning, practicing and self-observation;
3. The communication competences represent a premise of the success as a counselor that cannot be reached
without attaining the best development level of all other components of the counselor’s competence system;
4. The communication competences can be evaluated either by discussions or by evaluations made by experts
or by self-evaluations;
5. The counselors who have/had a teaching activity are inclined to approach the counseling process in an
authoritative and directive manner (mostly when they are over 30 - 35 years old), caused probably by certain
habits acquired during the teaching activity;
6. Aiming to accelerate the acquisition of the communication competences specific to the counseling act, it is
absolutely necessary to expose the young counselors or the aspirants to this profession to concrete, practical
problematical/applicative situations, in association with the assistance (under active guidance and coordination)
granted during formative counseling meetings;
7. It is recommendable for the teenagers boys counseling to turn to male counselors and, the same for the
teenager girls to ask for the support of female counselors, this is for the fact that in the most situations the gender
differences determined the apparition of certain communicational barriers;
 8. The environmental conditions, as well as the counselor external aspect (clothes, clean, fine look) are more
important for the female clients than for men;
9. A major importance has to use the adequate paraverbal behaviours;
10. There is a tendency towards the over-evaluation of their own competences and, consequently, we
consider as appropriate the association of the self-evaluation techniques with external evaluative and observation
methods;
11. The young people have the increased tendency to over-evaluate their own competences, compared to the
experienced counselors;
12. The communication competences cannot be separated from the entire group of competences defining the
counselor, but only for educational or theoretical-investigative purposes, for they constitute in fact the
counselor’s competence system;
13. The communication competences represent a premise for the successful counseling activity which cannot
be achieved without reaching the optimum development level of other counselor competences system
components.
In addition, we notice that there are series of problems deserving to be studied separately and requiring
further approach in the future. Among these, we mention:
- The professional insertion aspect - the way the beginner counselor is supported in making a smooth
transition towards the counseling carrier;
- The adaptation of the counseling profession deontological code to the present conditions in Romania, the
promotion of the counseling profession and the encouragement of the professional authentic ethos;
- The professional culture differences produced by the educational level, on one side, and by the
specialization followed, on the other side;
- The standards concerning the training quality and the elaboration of some instruments providing and
managing the quality of the initial and continuous training (including the monitoring and the evaluation of the
professional activity).
The drawing up of an instrument kit used for the evaluation of the competences specific to the counseling
activity, with the differentiation of the competence elements, has a significant contribution to the identification
and, subsequently, the improvement of the possible deficiencies noticed during the counseling process.
The competences system could be further supplemented with indicators and descriptors for each competence
and for each achieved level, with the sources the evaluator can use in order to verify the achieved level, with
instruments (model) for (self/inter) evaluation. The standardization, as another obvious tendency of educational
and training systems evolution, could be able to contribute to a higher quality and effectiveness of the education,
under increased access and equity conditions.

Bibliography

1. Abric, J. C., Psihologia comunicării. Teorii şi metode, Iaşi: Editura Polirom, 2002
2. Bunăiașu, C.M., Teacher’s asserting premises and possibilities of efficient managerial styles, Social
Sciences and Education Research Review, No 2/2014, pp. 3-10
3. Habermas, J., Conştiinţă morală şi acţiune comunicativă. Bucureşti: Editura All, 2000
4. Hymens, D., Vers la competence de communication. Paris: ESF, 1994
5. Iosifescu, Ş., Sistemul de competenţe manageriale ale profesorului. Material nepublicat, Institutul de
Ştiinţe ale Educaţiei, Bucureşti, 2004
6. Maciuc, Irina, & Ștefan, Aurelia-Mihaela. Blended Leearning and Organized Learning, Key Issues in
Adult Education, 2010, pp. 42-50, http://iec.psih.uaic.ro/ciea/file/2010/5%20maciuc%20stefan.pdf
(accessed April 15, 2015)
7. Mogonea, Florentina, & Ștefan, Aurelia Mihaela, Personal reflection and Learning Eficientization,
Journal Plus Education, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2014. http://www.uav.ro/jour/index.php/jpe/article/view/239
(accessed April 15, 2015)
8. Negrea, X., Objectivity between illusions and professional standards in today’s journalism, Social
Sciences and Education Research Review, No 1/2014. Pp. 29-35
9. Pânişoară, I.O., Comunicarea eficientă. Iaşi: Editura Polirom, 2004
10. Pitariu, H.D., Managementul resurselor umane: Evaluarea performanţelor profesionale. Bucureşti: Editura
All Beck, 2000
11. Popescu, Alexandrina-Mihaela & Ștefan, Aurelia-Mihaela, Training the Educator for Methodological
Alternatives and Paradigm Changes in Education. Revista de Științe Politice, No. 46. 2014
12. Smarandache, F., & Vlăduțescu, Ș., Towards a Practical Communication Intervention. Revista de
cercetare şi intervenţie socială, (46), 2014, pp. 243-254
13. Strunga, A., Curriculum and institutional innovation models for Romanian universities in the context of
Lisbon Strategy and European Higher Education Area. Journal of Educational Sciences, XI (2), 2009, pp.
59-66
14. Teodorescu, B., Communication’s infusion in organizational culture and behavior. Saarbrucken: LAP
Lambert Academic Publishing, 2015
15. Ţenescu, A., Comunicare, sens, discurs. Craiova: Editura Universitaria, 2009
16. Vlăduţescu, Ş., Relationships and Communication Networks. Journal of Community Positive Practices, 4,
2012, pp. 790-795
17. Vlăduțescu, Ș., Didactic Communication as Tool in European Integration. Communications in Applied
Sciences, 2(1), 2014, pp. 85-96
18. Voinea, D. V., Negrea, X., & Vlăduțescu, Ș., Interpersonal communicational manipulations. Postmodern
Openings, (04), 2014, pp. 43-56
19. Voinea, D. V., Bușu, O. V., Opran, E. R., & Vlăduțescu, Ș., Embarrassments in Managerial
Communication. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 11(2), 2015, pp. 171-180
20. Zlate, M., & Zlate, C., Cunoaşterea şi activarea grupurilor sociale. Bucureşti: Editura Politică, 1982.