Active listening over the phone requires a lot of focus and allowing the student to finish their thoughts without interrupting takes practice. Great job keeping the student's needs in focus and adapting to meet those needs.
Dr. Jean Norris
Jessica,
Your story is the perfect example of how paraphrasing or reflecting can benefit a conversation. People want to be heard, and using skills such as rephrasing or reflecting allows you and your students to be on the same page. Thanks for sharing!
Dr. Jean Norris
Hannah,
You bring up an important point. Remembering that listening to what our students are saying rather than what we want them to say (or the script we 'need' to follow) allows the student to clearly communicate their wants and needs. I love the word "guidelines" because that allows you to stay on track while still allowing flexibility based on what the student is telling you. What are some ways that you can be more open and to keep the conversation flowing?
Dr. Jean Norris
Jeff you're right - time is a luxury that many of us don't have much of these days, but preparation is key. With practice I'm willing to bet it may become less difficult for you. Thanks for sharing.
Dr. Jean Norris
Alex,
Being flexible and listening not only to what is being said but what's going on in the background is a great way to make sure you're meeting the needs of your prospective student. You bring up another great point with using email; asking about your prospective students' preferred method of communication can help both you and that student deliver/receive the information in the best manner for that person.
Dr. Jean Norris
Devin,
Great self awareness! I'm curious how you hold yourself in a place of active listening?
Dr. Jean Norris
Since I work on the phone and we usually use some sort of script to follow listening is the most imporatnt part of my job. Buy listening to the student and not cuting them off during a call it allows me truely know and understand their needs. By adapting to their needs and key points will allow me to better serve the student and their persoanl goals.
The most important thing I can do in my job to establish a good relationship with my students and adapt is to LISTEN. While it is important to provide information to the students, it is also key to make sure I understand what they are in need of. A comment was made earlier about paraphrasing back to the student what was communicated. This will let your student know that you are listening and you really care. For example, I worked with a student a while back who had spoken with a number of other schools and she was frustrated because she was not getting the information she needed. I sat and listened to her and let her know that I was listening by communicating back to her what she was saying. Also, by maintaing control and flow of the conversation, I find that it is less likely for me to go off on tangents with my students
On top of creating guidlines to keep me on track with the information with my students, I think I need to be more open to stepping away from the list and keeping the conversation flowing. Often times I am to focuses on the information I need to convey that I keep the conversation to strict.
I would like spend more time on written communication, such as email to make sure it is tailored to the person I am communicating with. This is something I find difficult because it takes time which is not always a luxury I have. I also think I will take a little more time in preparing for phone conversations and write a list of key points so I don't forget something.
I try to be mindful of the situation on the other end of the phone. For instance, if I'm talking with a working, single mother and can hear kids screaming in the background while she's trying to prepare dinner, I'm not going to worry about hitting every single question on my script. Instead, I'll just focus on the key points that are most important to get across on the phone, and send the rest of the information/questions via email. That way, she can sit down and put some thought into the value and request.
I believe the key to this is active listening. If I have prepared myself for the communication and something doesn't work with how I expected it to I need to focus on listening. Many times when I have made a quick response just for the sake of saying something it backfires causing miscommunications and sometimes extra tension. When I listen it allows me to learn and carry with me a positive and approachable demeanor with the person I am communicating with.
Katherine, interesting point. So not only do you have to listen with your ears but also see their body language and listen in other ways to best communicate.
Dr. Jean Norris
Many times when encounter attitudes from students that lack basic communication skills, utilizing words and phrases that do not convey their needs, our job is to read further into the message that they are trying convey, so that we can improve our services.
Mark, thanks for sharing this. It sounds like you do your best to make sure you are understanding what others are trying to say while looking at your communication from the recipients' perspective. This will help ensure that the correct message has been received.
Dr. Jean Norris
I need to make sure that I fully understand what the writer is trying to communicate, as well as, what points they may be trying to make. On the other hand, I need to make sure and communicate effectively in return without overseeing anything through quick review.
Paula, great response. It looks like you are working on adapting your communication to make sure you are talking about relevant items for the specific student.
Dr. Jean Norris
If my communication ventures beyond the key points I identified, I will ensure that I get back on track and cover the areas that are important to the student.
Mary Jane, that's a great point. The idea is to connect with your student in order to partner with them through the decision making process. Interrupting a student can hurt the relationship right off the bat.
Dr. Jean Norris
If I may add, an even better way to help me communicate better with future students would be to keep my notes from taking this class, all my key points of my notes can help remind me of what I learned taking this course.
