ABSTRACT
Public hearings are great places to practice students communication skills. Hearings are not places to argue with presenters. It is their turn to talk, and they expect the board and administration to look like they are interested in their ideas. Public hearings are seldom places where decisions are made, but they are always places where public perceptions are forged. Idea formation is the first step in the communication process. Idea formation, it must be understood, is an important step and is one in which mistakes can certainly be made. Idea encoding is the process by which the idea is put into language that is appropriate for conveying the intended message. The opportunities for a communication breakdown are great at this stage of communication. The concept of a communication channel implies the timeliness of communication as well. Many factors affect whether or not receiver decoding is accurate, as intended.
