Someone that is competent as a communicator in my opinion would be my immediate supervisor. She has served as a Training/Curriculum Specialist, an educator in the classroom, and currently as an Administrator. The types of behaviors that she has exhibited during staff call meetings, trainings, and counseling staff have been as follows: she is very confident and knowledgeable regarding early childhood development so when she trains others she stands tall and she is loud, her tone remains pleasant when she is being direct or consoling, she smiles and empathetic gestures with her face when needed, when she needs to get her point across her body language is stiff and her facial expressions read, "I mean business"- no smiling, eyebrows up, her eyes look as though she can see through you! She is a tall woman and when she becomes annoyed she wrinkles her nose on one side and stares directly in your face. She definitely commands your attention when she is speaking and this makes her effective. People adore her.
I would like to model some communication behaviors after this person because people gravitate toward her in a manner that they do not gravitate toward me. People comment that they're first impression of me is that I look "mean" or "angry". I am not a tall person so when I speak to people most of the time I am looking upward them and I am loud. Maybe I am a little paranoid, because there are times when people look at me as if to say, "Who is this woman?" This annoys the heck out of me! People never mention that she appears angry; ever! I want that too.
I want to be approachable like she is where people feel comfortable speaking with me. I would like to have the same effect on people as she does, but I know I will have to practice, practice, practice!
Hello Shelita
ReplyDeleteAccording to O’ Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, and Teven (2015), communicators need to have an awareness of who they are, what they know, how successful they are, because that cognition will influence their behavior when they communicate. Your supervisor has competent communication skills, and she has extensive knowledge and show familiarity with the topic she is sharing. Once people feel secure that what they are saying is right that confidence helps them to express their knowledge. However, it is indispensable to have the appropriate manners to show grace and respect. I believe that all early childhood professionals need to develop effective communication skills. These skills will help us succeed in our careers, and they will also help us to communicate correctly. I trust this class will also help me to improve my communication skills because early childhood professionals need to develop these skills effectively.
Leticia
Reference
O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
I believe these are great qualities to have as a professional. Being able to talk with other people in a general conversation will make a difference in how they will respond depends on your gestures, tone, and how well you listen. I am currently teaching this year and I am working with other teachers on how to communicate with my parents. I have a lot to learn and I'm glad to be taking this course.
ReplyDeleteShelita,
ReplyDeleteIt is so exciting to continue on this journey with you again! You certainly come across as an effective communicator through the various discussions or blog postings we have done together. I often find myself very critical of how I come across to others, and wish to be more assertive in certain conversations. Your supervisor sounds like a confident woman who has mastered basic communication skills that are necessary to her job; this is something I am continuing to hone through practice! Keep working-you may be farther ahead than you believe!
Kate
Hello Shelita,
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have a supervisor whom you can look up to. I have had horrible supervisors, but I have also have good ones. I think that the best one I have had was a collaborative supervisor, who had the heart and the ears to listen to her team mates equally. She was able to balance her authority, which I thought made it much easier for me and the rest of the team of teachers to approach her because we knew she was supportive of us all. After observing her strategies, I knew that I wanted to project the same type of leadership skills as her.
-Best regards,
Paula Mercado