Simulation role play as a contact work with students and its role in their communicative skills development

The article describes the diagnostic and correctional possibilities of using simulation role play with University students. It should be noted, that simulation and a role play allows to immerse students in active controlled communication, where they can express themselves, learn about their hidden capabilities, and develop their skills necessary for more productive functioning as a group or individually. Such play should contain elements of modeling, construction, and transformation. Today, simulation role play offers great opportunities to work with any categories of students, and have a great practical use, as it provides an opportunity to master both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication in various situations, clearly demonstrating the ways and possibilities to apply in practice the knowledge gained. The study showed that the use of simulation role play in the educational process helps to increase significantly the communicative competence of students. Thanks to a 4 months’ simulation role play with students during their studies at the University, they have significantly increased their communication competence, formed new communication skills and communication behavior strategies, and decreased the indicators of "communicative clumsiness". The results suggest that simulation role play as a type of socio-psychological training can be actively used in teaching practice at the University for the development of students ' communication skills, as it involves dialogue, relying on life experience and feelings of younger generation. This is a form of specially organized communication, which may become necessary in the increasing distant "indirect interaction" in our lives through social networks and the Internet.