Dr. Jean Norris

Dr. Jean Norris

Location: 55 e. jackson blvd., suite 950, chicago, il 60604

About me

27 year veteran of the education industry working in both proprietary and non-profit higher education.  I have served primarily in the roles of marketing and admissions administration as well as a faculty member and academic dean.  My passion is training and employee development by providing innovative content and delivery that reinforces compliance and meets the demands of today's student consumer.  Our admissions training program, EnrollMatch is the FIRST and ONLY admissions training program to receive a legal seal of approval for meeting all national and regional accrediting agency admissions related standards.  To learn more please visit www.enrollmatch.com

Interests

training, admissions best practices, compliance, guidance counseling, sales

Skills

developer of enrollmatch - the ethical enrollment process; author; speaker; trainer; personal coach

Activity

It's true that our communication style may be different from that of the person for whom we are leaving the message. What can you do to remind yourself to smile to be precise during your messages?

That's great awareness Azeza and finding the right balance during your inquiry calls can be tricky. Each student comes to us at various stages of the buying cycle and if we ask the right questions we can not only figure out where they are in that cycle, but how much 'necessary' information we need to provide during that call. The person asking the questions typically has control of the conversation, and as you noted, if the student is asking all of the questions they have the control. What types of questions can you ask to find out where they are… >>>

Listening is only one part of the communication formula, we also have to consider how we are delivering the information. We all have different learning styles that can be visual, auditory or even kinesthetic. Sometimes when the person asks the same question they are saying 'I didn't understand the answer' or 'You aren't giving me the information in a way that I can learn.' Try using different methods of communication to see if that helps.
Discussion Comment
Working with those people who don't use a lot of outward signs can be challenging. How do you work through that?
So true! Being listened to is so powerful and can help you proceed through the communication hierarchy. Thanks for posting.

You bring up some really great points John. Many admissions professionals fall into the trap of either immediately trying to set the appointment, or quickly providing facts about the school without taking the time to build rapport and gather information from the student. Taking a few minutes to get to know the student and to discuss their motivation will not only help you provide the right information during that phone call, but can help you to communicate the value of coming to the campus. I'm curious, what about the student that doesn't want to come to the campus and is… >>>

So it looks like you're modeling a positive attitude and building rapport; that's a great approach! How does that impact your communication with them?
Being observant and listening with your eyes, ears and heart will provide you with the information you need to match and build rapport. This is one of many tools that takes some practice, but once you learn the technique it can open windows to connecting with your students.
You're right, it takes a lot of effort to stay focused and listening with the intent to be fully present and to listen without any filters. "Be hear now" is a practice that can apply to many levels of listening. Thanks for sharing.
Delivering a clear message is important for sure. How do you know when you're communicating effectively with a group?

End of Content

End of Content