How Do Others Evaluate My Communication Skills?

This portion of my blog required the student to have completed three assessments, summarize the results, and compare them to the results of others concerning me: communication anxiety inventory, verbal aggressiveness scale, listening styles profile. I had three people take the test for me instead of two: my two closest friends – 1 male and 1 female, and a colleague. We all agreed on listening styles. What was surprising was that my best friends scored me as significant on the verbal aggressiveness and the colleague’s result was moderate along with mine. I am somewhat disturbed that my friends feel that I verbally attack people. To be good communicators we must first know ourselves O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009).  We must understand that our actions are directly affected by our self-perceptions (p. 57).

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

COMMUNICATING WITH OTHERS

Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

Of course I communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. I speak differently to our clients who are bilingual, sometimes using my broken Spanish. There is a teacher at our center that I have determined I must pay attention to my words for her to understand. When I answer the phone, I answer differently if it’s my personal phone, the day care line, or the church phone. I often use my ‘church lady’ voice when I’m at church that I never use any other setting. My verbal and nonverbal communication skills all change in these settings.  

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

·         I need to formally improve my Spanish. The neighborhood in which the center belongs has become increasingly diverse. As an administrator, I must be able to communicate with potential clients.

·         Deconstruct my schemas (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009) – I must be able to allow myself to let go of my preconceived ideas of how others should act.

·         Eliminate cultural myopia (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009) thinking. This goes hand in hand with deconstructing my schemas in order to communicate well with others and other groups.

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATIONS

This week's assignment called for us to observe a television show we wouldn't ordinarily watch with the sound muted and then again with the sound in tact.

While watching the show "The Firm" without sound, it was obvious that the main male and female characters were a couple. The beginning of the show they were being escorted through a building as if the man escorting was a realtor and showing the inside of the building to clients. The couple nonverbal gestures of their togetherness were hands held while they walked, when one talked the other looked on with an adoring gaze, the woman did take the man’s arm and draw her body into his. They both were smiling and seemed happy about that showing. In a bedroom scene, it was unmistakably evident that they were a couple.

With the sound on my assumption on the nonverbal cues were correct about the couple. The actors were playing a married couple and they seemed to be much in love with each other. Their nonverbal cues were good situational context. I was wrong when I assumed that they were on the market to buy the building. They were in fact being shown the office building of where the husband was being offered a partnership at a law firm. The man showing them around was a lawyer of the firm ‘courting’ him.

There were many characters in this show and without verbal communications, my assumptions to the mini plots were completely wrong. One man I thought had ill intentions to the main character had been entrapped and was angry.  The main character was trying to help that man. It is clear that one must watch for nonverbal communications as well as verbal in order to grasp everything.

Communicating and Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field

This week starts a new class and new challenges for learning. In my line of work (church, nonprofits, EC programs), I interact with people from all walks of life. I have observed my father and pastor communicate in many different settings. What I admire about Dad is that he does not allow circumstances or others tones to not treat everyone the same. When he doesn't understand what someone is saying, he rephrases for clarification or politely asks for clarification. My father also watches and listens for clues of what is being said by nonverbal actions. These are skills I need to perfect in order to interact affectively with everyone.

Perspectives on Diversity and Equity in the Masters in Early Childhood (MSEC) program

This is the final blog for the course Perspectives on Diversity and Equity in the Masters in Early Childhood (MSEC) program from Walden University. One hope and also a goal I have when I think about working with young children and families who come from diverse background is to help the them relate to each other as neighbors and classmates. This class has helped me face my own biases and sense of privilege. I want to help others in the same way to accept and interact with others not in their social identities without prejudice.

I want to thank my classmates and colleagues in this emerging field of early childhood development for sharing their thoughts and experiences in class. I also want to thank our professor for his guidance through this course.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Week 7's blog assignment is to prepare for a child and family from another country to enter our center. The following statements are to prepare for this new student and her family.

Name 5 things I would do to prepare for a child and family who's home country is India:
1.  Google the country, state, and city where the family comes from and read as much as possible about the country.
2.  Find out about the language of the family.
3.  Find out about food items that can be added to the menu from the family's country.
4.  Ensure the classroom setting has signs of the family's country on the walls, in the books, and in the lesson plans.
5.  Update the teachers and staff about the new family's traditions and language.

It is our center’s responsibility to ensure that the child feels as comfortable as possible when entering the classroom culture. The child should not be made to feel inferior because the family is from a different country. Informing the staff to include in the classroom setting language, food, and pictures from the child’s home country will make her feel more welcome to a new environment.

Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Week six of the course Perspectives on Diversity and Equity asked that we recall an incident when we experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression.

A few years ago I was in a major metropolitan city here in the U.S. on a speaking engagement. One of my dearest friends flew in to meet with us at the church. At the time he was a professor of economics at a well known university. He was having trouble with his vocal chords and could not speak. He taught by sign language through an interpreter. He carried documentation in his pocket of this and wears a medical bracelet. He is a handsome 6 foot 1, black, bald headed man and was probably 250 lbs then. He rented a car from the airport and was driving where we were waiting. However, he was pulled over by the police and they were trying to question him. When he didn't (couldn't) respond they pulled him out of the car, handcuffed him, and searched the car. His means of communication was handcuffed and when he wouldn't talk to the police they arrested him.

A black, bald, tall man (the description) had stolen a car. While we wondered where our friend was, he sat in jail from Friday afternoon til Monday in order to tell the judge who he was because the arresting nor booking officers didn't care to look at his bracelet, nor papers to figure out what the problem was.    

When we found out late Monday night what happened we were shocked and angry. Of course he sued the city and won the case. However, a long time of bias and prejudice was shown by every officer in this event. This was not the first nor last time that mistaken identity has caused him to be questioned by police. This was an injustice done to an affluential, academic man.  In order for these kinds of events to change, the dominate culture and other cultures must change the attitudes that all people in a group look, act, and think the same.