Face to Face
When communicating face to face with a group of individuals, such as a family. Would it be best to focus on adapting to the interested party, or the concerned parents?
Leslie,
Isn't it interesting how many different responses we have to this question. You bring up a good point that the interested party is the one who is a major focus in the conversation however...aren't the parent's still paying?
Dr. Jean Norris
I would adapt to the interested party, and not to the concerned parent! Only if the parent brought up the topic.
MIGUEL ,
Without a doubt it can be best to address disagreements that you notice in face to face communications. I get the sense that you're not only listening for what the person is telling you but you're also watching for the non-verbals (especially those that contradict the message). Keep up the good work, Miguel. This attention to detail will improve your listening skills overall.
Shannon Gormley
Face to face is the best for of communication because you can see the reaction and body language of all parties during a conversation. Disagreements between parties can happen, when communicating face to face, it makes it easier to find solutions so everyone can be happy.
MIGUEL,
Thanks for your response. It sounds like you believe face to face is the best form of communication as it allows both individuals the opportunity to observe the non-verbal cues, do I have that right? What other benefits do you believe face to face communication offers?
Shannon Gormley
I think that expensive to face it is the best form of communication since you can observer the reaction of the interlocutor
Excellent! I see that you have some great practices for engaging the student's support system. Keep it up.
Good eye contact. Tie in questions to get them into the conversation. How do they feel about (spouse; son; daughter) pursuing a new career; going back to school; "sounds like you are pretty proud of______," etc. Good to get them to contribute to interview. Sometimes they will help
our job by telling us why we should accept their spouse of daughter, etc.
Great observation, Fred! Definitely don't want to leave out these key members of the person's support system. What do you do to engage these individuals in the conversation?
Attention has to be paid to all parties. You cannot leave out the parents, husband, or other support persons.
Thanks James, and I think you answered your own question. Each person in the room has their own reason for being there. When a rep only focuses on one of those individuals, they miss out on the other point of view. Tell me, how can you bring all people involved into the discussion?
I ended up adapting the discussion to paying party, which was the parents. I felt as if this took the focus away from why we were there in the first place which was the inquiring son.
Hi James. That is a great question. Family dynamics can have an impact to the outcome of an appointment. Have you ever been in this situation before? What specifically did you do?
