Communication is a process that requires much practice and effort (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). It is a learned skill that some excel at and others continually fail at. Communication can have many purposes including acquiring wants and needs, becoming part of a group, or gaining control of a situation (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). One highly effective communicator that I would like to learn from and acknowledge is a co-worker who is a preschool teacher. She not only expresses love and compassion for children through her daily communication, she constantly opens doors to communication with co-workers, community members and families as well. She is an expert communicator.
My co-worker maintains a positive attitude and a friendly approachable appearance in every situation. She is an expert at picking up on nonverbal cues from others and responding to those in a loving and accepting manner. Her constant practice with positive guidance techniques with children transfer over to her adult communication interactions as well. She is assertive in her needs and values but she asserts her views in ways that are morally and ethically acceptable. She is always well-intentioned and honest. She uses humor to break tension, and she thinks before she speaks in order to maintain intelligent conversations. The main force behind her communication is that she has a real passions for children that shines through. She genuinely cares about each child's well-being and works to collaborate with others to meet each child's needs.
Sometimes I ask my co-worker how she would handle a situation because I respect her opinion and would model my own communication behaviors after hers. I think it is important to remember that we can always learn things from each other and that is why collaboration is so important.
Reference:
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteYour final statement of how it is important to remember that we can always learn from each other is so true. Great post! Often I believe that some feel if they ask others for advice or help it will make others think they are not a competent teacher. So then they do not ask. What they need to remember is exactly what you said, collaboration is so important!
I agree. We can always learn from one another. It is wonderful your coworker can pick up on nonverbal cues. Sometimes when people are not using words their body language and their eyes can tell us so much about what they are not saying. It is a great goal you have that you want to learn from your coworker.
ReplyDeleteHello Mary,
ReplyDeleteI too have a coworker like that. She is very articulate, caring, and inspirational in her daily practices. I definitely feel confident in asking her for advice. She recently got a new position in the district, so I won’t get to see her much. I will definitely miss the opportunities to pick her brain and collaborate on effective strategies/techniques for the classroom. I am happy to hear that you have someone so close to you that you can admire. Great post!