This week blog assignment takes me
back to my childhood. My grandmother was the head of the family and she kept everyone
together, guide us in the right path, and provide for us. I can say the way I
communicate with other individuals is because of what she thought me when I was
a young girl. Children in Haiti are not allowed to call an adult by their first
name even if you do not know that person. We have to refer to them by their
last that if it someone you do not know, otherwise everyone is aunt, uncle,
grandma, and grandpa. My grandmother was very big on fostering positivity and
respect because she always says that “everyone is someone’s child and they deserve
the same amount of respect as any of us”. My career allows me to communicate
with many type of people therefore I have to demonstrate an excellent
communication skill to everyone and treat them with respect.
The insight I get is that a good
communicator is aware of their strength, their weakness, and the way they
listen to other individuals. As an early childhood educator my goal is to
communicate effectively with the students, families, colleagues, and the
communities effectively so that I can provide quality services throughout my
career as an educator. The first strategy I could use to help me communicate
better is effective listening skills. This will allow the speaker feel that he
or she is being heard and understood. I believed that knowing how to focus during
a conversation is very important because we also show respect to the speaker
and we can received the information accordingly. The second strategy I could
use is to know how to manage stress during a conversation because I believe
stress during conversation is a factor. I would like to be able to identify
what cause the stress so that I can take a moment to collet myself before
continue with the conversation. I learn that if we take a moment to calm down
when we are stressed about something and take a deep breath and look at the
whole saturation, we can effectively receive the information during the
conversation. The third strategy I could use is how to manage my emotions during
a conversation. In many cases we are not emotional aware when communicating
with others. It is very important to understand and empathize so that both parties
can benefit from the conversation. Overall it was great to identify ways that
can help me communicate effectively with other individuals with a variety of backgrounds.
Hi Sophia and thanks for sharing. I have to agree that listening is a critical skill to have in communication, especially for ECE professionals. I think sometimes we are so eager to express and share that we don't take time to listen and receive the other person's perspective. I shared this week how I will try to take their perspective into account before I make assumptions, conclusions, or pass judgement.
ReplyDeleteSophia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I like how you told about the interaction between adults and children in Haiti. Culture does play a role in how we communicate with others.
I think controlling emotions when we are communicating is so important and a difficult practice. Emotions can really cause terrible miscommunications. It is something everyone needs to work on throughout their lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Betsy
Sophia, thank you for sharing some of the cultural communication from your childhood in Haiti. I was also expected to call all adults by their last names when I was a child-that certainly changed for my children! All of my children's friends call me by my first name. Has there been a change like that in Haiti? Carolyn
ReplyDeletehello Carolyn, thank you for your question. the answer is No it still the same in Haiti children still call adult my their last mane and use sir/Miss. I do not allow my niece and nephew' friend call me by my first name because I could be their mom and they need to show respect at all time. I talk to them and I explain that we do not call an adult by their first mane always by their last mane and we use sir/ Miss. Sophia
DeleteHi Sophia, you made such a good point about identifying the origin of stress in communication and how to manage it. So often we get stressed in a conversation with someone, whether because we feel we have been misunderstood or because we are not getting a point across or whatever other reason, and this could cause us to act or react out of that stress rather than out of a mindful place. I need to remember this when the parents of my students do not bother to read the information or calendars or emails I send home to them and then yell at me or accuse me of not telling them something after they have missed it. I need to put myself in their shoes and view from their point of view- which is hard. :) Thanks for your post.
ReplyDelete