Strategies
for communicating with people or groups
I have been away from work for over three months after
surviving a very serious car accident.
These are people that I have been working with for several years. As a result of this class, I find myself
taking more time to listen to what
they have to say and being more observant
of their nonverbal communication (Nadig, L. A., 2010).
Just today, one staff member came to me in my office to ask about what
time the staff could leave since we were expecting several inches of snow. I could tell because of her tone and body
language that she was fearful for her safety.
Because I was able to listen with my eyes and ears, I assured her that I
would go and talk with the director and executive director. Within a few moments, I was able to
communicate good news that the staff could leave right away! While I am not always able to communicate
great news, when there is unpopular news, I am able to justify to the staff why
a decision is made the way that it is.
The demographics of the population of children and
families we serve in Williamsburg, Virginia are constantly changing. When I began as education/disabilities
coordinator eight years ago, there were eight Latino children in our
program. This year there are 40 Latino
children from different cultures as well as students from Morocco, Kenya,
Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Therefore,
another strategy I must use is understanding
my own culture and the culture of others (Gonzalez-Mena, J., p. 36, 2010). Even the Latino families have different
cultures that I must learn about by having conversations with the families and
researching their cultures on the internet.
When using the internet, it is important to use sites that are
reputable.
When I am working with colleagues, community partners,
family members or any other people or groups, being objective and avoiding
ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice, will help me to gain respect
(Zhou, B. & Cui, F., p. 79, 2007) with whoever I am having conversation. It will also help the people or groups
involved to “achieve mutual benefit” (Zhou, B. & Cui, F., p. 81, 2007). Everyone will be a winner!
References
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families.
Understanding and Appreciating Cultural
Differences (pp. 36-38). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Nadig, L. A. (2010). Tips
on effective listening. Retrieved from
Zhou, B. & Cui, F.
(2007). On the promotion of intercultural communication competence. Sino-
US English Teaching, 4(9),
77-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library
using Education
Research Complete database.
I was impressed by the many different cultures represented at your Head Start, and how this diversity has become the norm over the years. In researching these different family cultures, I am sure your communication skills have advanced since the time when only 8 diverse families were in your program. You must be glad to have the benefit of this communication course to assist you further in your professional growth.
ReplyDeleteoops, please forgive my posting under my husband's name "stephenholt".
ReplyDeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteOther orientation and the Platinum Rule are important to communication. As a result, educators can learn how to improve communication by focusing on the needs of others and their cultural difference.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteWow! What great strategies to support communication and interactions with diverse children and families. Best wishes on journey of effectively communicating / interacting with young children and families.
Crystal
Nonverbal communication can tell you alot about what a person is saying. Wow! you are exposed to alot of different culutres in your center. I know it takes alot getting information about this different culutres in order to be successful in communicating with the families you serve. I know we as educators it is important to take time to get to know our families so that we make them feel comfortable and we want to give their child a great learning experience. I like you saying that "Everyone is a winner" Great post!!! Best of Luck ot you!!!!
ReplyDelete