Friday, January 10, 2014
Competent Communication
When I think of competent communication, one person in particular comes to my mind. My supervisor, who is our Early Head Start Director, is a great communicator, both on a professional level and on a personal level. Whenever I am speaking with her, she takes the time to truly listen to me. She evaluates what I have said before she responds. She also makes eye contact with me when I am speaking, which also reassures me that she is listening. Even in emails, she always seems to take the time to stop and think about how she wants to say something before she actually does it. To me, that shows that she cares about her audience and how her audience views her. I feel important when I speak with her, even if it is simply sharing my frustrations that I experienced earlier that morning while trying to get my oldest daughter to preschool. Another key point that makes her a competent communicator is the fact that she holds an open door policy in her office. She is always willing to take the time to communicate with her staff, no matter what the topic may be. I have learned a lot about communication through my relationship with her and it has carried over to my interactions in my position in the program.
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Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a wonderful supervisor. I think the fact that she not only makes herself available to you but listens intently when you are communicating even if it is just to share a frustration makes her an effective supervisor. I agree that taking the time to think prior to responding is essential for effective communication especially with the increasing use of email as a method of communication. There is a lot of potential for misunderstandings if a response is not thought through. I am so glad you have such a great administrator who seems like a wonderful mentor and role model.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteYou are very lucky to have a supervisor that possess such a great quality! I think competent communicators need to be open and objective, while being inviting. I am sure having a competent communicator as a supervisor influences everyone's communication styles which hopefully improves the experiences that the children and families have.
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a great supervisor (and mentor). I believe that listening is one of the most important aspects of communication. I sometimes have a difficult time really thinking about what a person has said and taking the time to stop and think before I respond. That is one area in which I really want to work on during this course.