Making the Connection
People say I'm very quiet any they think i'm not freindly, but the truth is that I am shy.I guess I need to work on that.
Thank you for sharing your experience Cindi. I think there are others that have had to work on softening their voice to match that of their quieter co-workers and customers. It's an awareness and it takes some practice. Keep practicing!
I have the opposite problem. My voice is naturally loud and carries to parts unknown so I have to continually curtail the volume of my voice. It has been a difficult trait to harness over the years. With this trait I find that people have a tendancy to shy away. I would like to have some of your shyness. I did not use to like to talk in front of a large group but I took a speech class and the old trick to see the audience in their underwear really works if you are able to picture it. Good Luck
Juan, absolutely. Safe small talk topics such as the weather will really help the person to start to open up and perhaps you can then find something that you have in common with them to move the conversation along.
Dr. Jean Norris
Sometimes making small talk such as I like your outfit or nice weather will make the person feel more comfortable. and is a good icebreaker.
I think you really do if you work in student service
You can not be shy if you'r job depends on talking with people every day...
Barbara, that's a great way to continue to build rapport with your students. I'm curious, what type of feedback do you typically get from your students?
Dr. Jean Norris
Thanks for sharing this Barbara. So tell me, what are some other ways you make connections with your students?
Dr. Jean Norris
Making a connection with my students is very impotant to me knowing if they are happy or if they are doing well. I call them to find out how the classes are doing and make sure they come to class.
Making a connection to me is the most important part of my job. Listening to what they need and what they want i make sure they come to class I call my students to follow up to make sure they are happy.
Linette,
Again...that is great awareness. People often make assumptions that don't prove to be accurate. I wonder how often people do that in admissions or in the classroom?
Dr. Jean Norris
