Thursday, September 5, 2013
Effective Communicators
When I think of an effective communicator, the first trait that comes to mind is someone who listens. Most people think of communication as talking, but I prefer to communicate with someone who actively listens to me or others. A friend of mine named Jodie has always been an effective communicator. I met her when our daughters took dancing lessons together fourteen years ago. We spent many hours over the years waiting for our daughters to finish their lessons. She always listened to whatever I was saying and was not distracted by anything else going on around us. I knew she was listening because she would make comments or ask questions about my conversation. Over the years that I have known her, she makes every attempt to make the person she is talking to feel valued. I always walk away from her feeling a little more uplifted than I was before I spoke to her. I wish I could say more about her traits besides the fact that she listens because there is so much more that she does. Her skills are hard for me to define. Her friendliness is not fake but very genuine. I would love to be able to communicate the way she does, and make people feel valued after a simple conversation. She may have learned some of her communication skills from her job. She is a Human Resource Director of a company. I hope I leave this course understanding her skills, and I hope I have learned some of them also.
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MaryJo,
ReplyDeleteThe ability to really listen is also the reason that I chose the person who, for me, exemplified a competent communicator. You make an excellent point about most people associating effective communication with talking rather than listening. As Williams (n.d.) pointed out, “almost everyone sincerely believes that he or she listens effectively” but the reality is “listening effectively is something that very few of us do” (para 1). Like your friend, the way that my former supervisor listened made me feel valued. Helping families feel that what they say is valued is essential to forming the kind of meaning relationships needed to work together successfully. According to Nadig (2010, July), “Active or reflective listening is the most useful and important listening skill” (para 6). Nadig (2010) goes on to say that active listening involves being “genuinely interested in what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means” (para 6). Like you, I hope to be able to learn how to be a better listener.
Reference
Williams, S., (n.d.). Listening effectively. Retrieved from
http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/skills/listening.htm
Nadig, L. A. (2010, July 19). Tips on effective listening. Retrieved from http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm
Hello Mary,
DeleteReading your post was interested, because I have this friend who works at DHR, she is good at listening and giving opinions on different situations. The more we around good communicators, the more we will learn. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Mary Jo,
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it but, it’s good to talk with someone who listens and does not interrupt you. I am learning from this course how very important it is to communicate effectively. This will help when we are speaking to children and their families, to communicate so they feel you have their best interest in mind.
Great post, Kathleen.
I really enjoy reading our blog about your friend it's good to know that there are someone in our lives to help open up our understanding. it is good to have someone to listen and not do all the communication. We as professionals need to know that and follow it also.
ReplyDeletepositive post, Ms. C.
I think listening is the trait of a good friend too! It is great when you walk away from a conversation feeling uplifted. I often think about how I communicate with children, families and coworkers...does the conversation make them feel uplifted and positive??? It is great when you can communicate with others in a way that has a positive impact on their life. I try to remind myself of that even when I have difficult news to deliver.
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