It sounds like you prefer communicating face to face, just like Irene, Jon! Face to face is a great form of communication because you have the luxury of seeing the other person's body language and facial expressions and can adapt accordingly. As you know, today's communication occurs in a number of ways, such as over the phone, in email, text messaging, and social networks. Given that, how might you adapt your communication style when working with one of these mediums?
Face to Face communication is the best way to go!
Written communication because it is the most difficult. There is not body language or tone in written communication hence,there could be unintentional concenquences.
Hi Rina. It's great that you recognize what can put you off track when communicating with your students. It's not uncommon to hear that this happens when using scripts or a "speech". What do you plan to do to ensure you personalize your communication with individual students?
I will work on my face to face. To ensure all students receive all the information they need, I have my "speech" which covers the things the students should be aware of. However, if the student has a question and must stop me, I get off track and when I do get back, I have lost something. I need to work on personalized communication for each individual student. If I get off track for a moment, I need to be able to get right back on the subject without appearing lost.
So my guess is you are currently most effective in person, right? The good news is that once you have a certain communication method "dialed in" that is simply an opportunity to work on some of the others such as the written communication piece.
And just in case you're wondering, once you get that dialed in...there will be something else. That's the beauty of learning - we're never really done. It's an evolution but one that I hope you feel is worth the effort since you're helping students.
I will spend much more time communicating in person or telephonically, but when it is necessary to use email I will look extra long at the unintended consequences.
Written communication would be an area I can improve, because it is easy for it to be non-effective. I would like to be able to send an email that gets responses by the student using effective information used in it to get the students attention and call them to take action.
Oh yeah! We've all been there, Benedict! It's a great insight to understand how things may be taken by another person before we hit "Send". Remember, the one sending the communication is the one responsible for how the message is received. It doesn't always seem fair but that's simply how effective communication happens. Thanks for sharing and good luck with future emails!
Email I have had a couple of unforgiving circumstances where my messages were taken completely opposite of the intention. The messages were written quickly, without thinking and in anger. I was hoping for a positive outcome and to be helpful, but they were disastrous. They came off as if I had a negative attitude about my career and this was far from reality.
Hello Bernard. This is wonderful insight however I want to point out that your excellent writing skills are still very important. Adding a focus on body language will help give you a more well-rounded communication style in face to face situations too!
This is excellent, Ethel. What specifically might you do to make sure your intended message is understood?
I will work on my phone communication.
Because Ihaven't had to use the phone in my previousjobs before and now i do. Now since i know that when i am communicating on the phone with people that 45% of my commnication is being perceived. I would like to make sure i am communicating correctly.
I will definately work on my face to face skills after taking this class. I now understand the importance that body language has on communicating effectively. My energy has been spent on my writing skills and I was surprised to learn that it has the lowest capacity of communication.
I agree. I do not like anything other than face to face because i am not able to see what the other persons reaction is.
So glad you were able to discover areas of focus, Margie. The ability to strengthen these identified areas can give you the flexibility you need to connect with more students. Continued success!
Great insight Jeanetta! It sounds as if you feel a focus on your telephone skills might help you connect better with your prospective students then, right? My guess is if they feel more connected to you and see the value of the visit then they're more likely to show up. Let me know how it goes!
I enjoy face to face the most, but will work on the written formula. This method is probably my weakest and I need to make sure I cover my purpose, and give it a value. I usually try to put in a time frame, but that may need some working on too. We can do the most damage in sending a written message that is not prepared properly. It was good to go over these points to refresh areas that you let slide.
I will work on my telephone skills and my tone of voice. I feel that my appointment set ratio will improve if I can convey the sense of urgency over the phone a little better.
Thank you so much for your honesty Donovan! I so appreciate that! In fact, this self-awareness is a giant first step to moving forward.
In my experience many admission reps feel a sense of accomplishment in getting their information "out there" yet may miss the opportunity of really connecting with others in a meaningful way. It reminds me of the question, "Is it possible to be 100% efficient and 0% effective?"
