A Chinese university is asking students to step out of their comfort zones with an unusual assignment that has proved difficult for some and prompted others to urge their professor to keep it. The exercise is part of a popular course at Nanjing University that aims to build confidence, improve communication skills and teach empathy.
How Nanjing University is teaching students social skills
At Nanjing University in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, former television producer and director Xu Kai launched a course called Oral Expression in 2015. It has since become one of the university’s favourite public courses.
Students must call a stranger at random and interview them over the phone. While some have asked friends or family members to pretend to be strangers, others have turned to social media to find people willing to speak to them.
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One student, who goes by Connie online, initially sought volunteers on social media before deciding to dial random numbers in Nanjing. Some people suspected she was a scammer, but she eventually found another student who agreed to speak with her.
Another student, Hong Yiming, made more than 30 calls, but only five people answered. Three hung up immediately, one suspected he was a scammer, and the fifth agreed to be interviewed.
His interviewee, who works in the IT industry, shared advice on career planning, spoke about spending leisure time in Nanjing and even discussed their two cats.
According to the South China Morning Post, students have found the task increasingly difficult as more people avoid unfamiliar calls because of concerns about scams and unwanted solicitations.
Despite the challenges, some students who completed the assignment urged Xu to keep it, while others reportedly dropped the course because of it.
Why the professor wants students to improve their communication skills
Xu said the assignment was meant to teach students empathy.
“It is never easy to express yourself, and students should learn to appreciate other people’s help,” he said.
He believes the traditional Chinese emphasis on “do more, speak less” encourages people to remain modest and focused on their work. However, he argued that this approach can also limit their personal development and social skills.
Many young people in China describe themselves as introverts or say they have ‘social phobia’. Xu believes they may simply lack opportunities to practise communicating with others.
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Connie recalled enjoying expressing herself in primary school, but said speaking up was later seen as showing off. As pressure from the gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, increased, she noticed her classmates becoming more withdrawn. Xu hopes his course will give students more opportunities to practise communication, including through activities focused on body language.
The course has received university recognition over the years, with Xu earning honours including “My Favourite Teacher” and “Teacher of Charisma”.
