During conversations she would stay focused on the situation, issue, or behavior and not the person.
She maintained the self-confidence and self-esteem of the other person and took the initiative to help improve the situation.
She also lead by example and practiced what she preached.
All of these are traits that I would like to implement and model within both my personal and professional life. I firmly believe in the saying " treat other the way you would want to be treated" and if I can implement or model these traits then hopefully others will do the same for me.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! The Assistant Director you noted seems to be a wonderful choice as a mentor to help you learn the valuable communication skills you listed. One quality that you stated she possessed with regards to communication skills was that she maintained the self-confidence and self-esteem of the other person. I think that is such an important skill to have when communicating with others. Often times people in position have a tendency to talk at or talk down to others because of who they are, and not talk with them. Mutual respect of one another and being respectful of another's comments and opinions must be maintained at all times. Without it, there will be a breakdown in communication and the message will be lost. Thank you for sharing.
I see that very often at my new place of work- the management is always talking at or down to the staff and putting all the staff at the same level of expectations and it kills me inside. Coming from a management team the was so responsive and involved with their team and pushed them to excel and acknowledged that each person brought their own funds of knowledge and skills to the team and not setting them all to the same high expectations before most of them are actually ready to rise to that level yet. My last management team was very supportive and communicated so well with each other and the staff that it's been a hard transition at my new job. I fear this class is only going to make the feelings I have worse- but will ultimately help to ensure I don't follow their lead and that I am more respectful, and more effective at communicating with the staff than they are! Sorry for my rant- it all just popped into my head the sec I read "talk at or down to".
ReplyDeleteHi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI think you made a great point in addressing that during a conversation your assistant director would focus on the situation or behavior and not the person. Most often times, people often stray in talking about the person both intentionally and sometimes unintentionally and not the issue at hand. Also, leading by example is so important and practicing what she says is great especially in an administrator position. As a teacher you know you can go to her for guidance, but also count on someone to listen to your words.
I think it is important to remember to be respectful for all those you work with whether it is someone from the management team or a co-worker. Leading by example of this shows others that the management team is supportive and respectful to the teachers too.
Amy, Thanks for your post! I believe that communication involves respect and it is try that we need to understand that are attention is important when listening. I have had some conversation in which the other person is truly not listening and I felt as if they did not care. Working with children and families is it important that we treat them they way we want to be treated (with understanding, respect, and importance).
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteGreat pointers you have addressed within your blog. Sometimes we can begin talking and not realizing that is is offensive or come off in a disrespectful way to others, when it was not intentionally. That is why it is very important to listen to others and be conscious of what we say as being respectful. Listening is the main key, to better understand what the discussion is about and the concerns within the discussion.