Evaluating My Communication Skills

After evaluating how I communicate with others and how others view me as a communicator I noticed there were some differences and similarities. For example, my supervisor viewed my listening style as action oriented. Conversely, my husband viewed my listening style as content oriented. On the other hand, when I completed the evaluation on my listening skills, it concluded that I am a people oriented person. One of the things that surprise me the most is that I am considered a people oriented person. Since I am more of an introvert, I never perceived myself as being people oriented. After reviewing the evaluations I was able to recognize that different relationships require us to communicate differently. Understanding that there are differences in the way people communicate is important on a personal and professional standpoint. Another important lesson I learn through this exercise is that communication is a never ending learning experience. Therefore, it is important to make goals whether personally or professionally to improve on the blemishes and strengths we have when communicating. We should always dissect and work towards improving our flaws and building on our strengths in order to communicate effectively.

Communicating Effectively

Everyone is different and therefore when I find myself communicating with people who are different from me I communicate according to the situation and the person. For example, if I am communicating with a child I may use language that the child may understand based on their age. If I am communicating with someone who doesn’t speak English I might use symbols or pictures to illustrate what I am saying.

One of the things that help me to communicate effectively with people who are different is to ask questions. Asking questions is very important when communicating with people of different groups. In order for me to understand a person perspective, it is important for me to ask questions to clarify and understand where the person’s perspective stems from.

Another important thing to do when communicating with groups that are different is to listen without judgment. Often times people are quick to judge when the other person doesn’t think the same way we do. Being open and not judging is an essential part of communicating effectively.

Lastly, being open to learning something new can create better communication with others. Being open is not only beneficial for me to learn from others but it also lets the other person feel comfortable enough to express their thoughts and ideas. If I am listening with an open mind then the other person will feel more open to share their perspective.

Analyzing Communication

The blog this week required me to watch an episode of a show I have never seen without the sound on and make assumptions based upon non verbal cues and the way the characters communicate. After watching the show with the sound off, I then watched the show with the sound on to evaluate whether or not my assumptions were correct.

I decided to watch an episode of a show called “Baby Daddy”. Based upon the way the characters are communicating, it appears that the characters consist of four friends. Three of the friends are roommates. There is a knock on the door and they open the door to find a baby. The look on their faces when they saw the baby was complete shock. There eyes bulged out and their mouths were open. There surprise look meant they did not know who this baby belonged too and they had no idea how to care for a baby. Their eye brows was raised, shoulders up and hand out as if to say what do we do with this baby. One of the guys tried holding the baby. He held the baby away from him like an object with his eyes looking confused and he appeared uncomfortable with the idea of holding a baby. It was clear without the sound that all three men had no idea how to take care of a baby. There is a knock on the door and there is a young lady who appears to be a friend. She clearly had experienced with babies because she automatically walked in and looked at the baby pleasantly while smiling. She then picked the baby up and hugged her to soothe her.

After watching the show with the sound on, I was surprised to see that my predictions were spot on. The only thing I was not able to figure out while watching the show with the sound off is who dropped the baby off. The baby was actually dropped off by one of the men ex-girlfriend. He had no idea he had a baby. The mother ran off and left the baby at the door.

This activity affirmed to me that communication is not only based on verbal cues. I was able to watch a show I have never seen without sound and was able to get the synopsis of the storyline. Although I didn’t fully get the whole story I think I was able to get the main idea without hearing the verbal cues. Taking part in an activity like this allowed me to appreciate that communication can be achieved with  non- verbal cues and has made me more aware of the non-verbal cues when I am communicating with others. 

Demonstrating Competent Communication

Although, I never depict myself to model a person, since I am big on being a unique individual. With that said, there are some individuals that are admirable to me and one of them is Oprah Winfrey. One of things that I enjoy about watching Oprah is she always displays effective communication. She demonstrates eloquence when she speaks, respect towards others and their views, and she gives a sense of comfort when she is conversing with others. Oprah has interviewed many individuals in her lifetime, from celebrities to pedophiles. Throughout all her interviews she remains respectable and at times she may not agree with the person; however she still allows them to tell their story. The behavior she exhibits as a communicator is something I would definitely implement into my own life personally and professionally. Sometimes when you are communicating with someone, you may not agree with their opinion but it is important to listen to the person’s views without bias, this something Oprah is able to do.

Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that I leave them with a sense of belonging and acceptance. It is important that when I work with children I  impact them in such a way that they are prideful of who they are in this world and willing to accept others for who they are. I want children to know that their differences are what makes them unique and exploring those who are different from them, can be a great learning experience.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to empower children to love who they are and to learn that no one person is better than the other. I would love to create a workshop for children where they can learn about themselves and share their differences with one another. Learning these lessons early in life is essential for our society to change in regards to issues of diversity.

I truly enjoyed this course, it left me feeling empowered, I learned so much about my own identity, and I have a greater respect for the differences we share in this society. I love learning about my colleague’s journey through self discovery, their childhoods, culture, and views on diversity. I Hope that everyone took something from this class that they can use personally and professionally.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

If I was working in a child care center and was told a child of a family from Russia would be emigrated into my program, in order to be culturally prepared for this family there are five ways that would help me to be more responsive to the needs of the child and their family. Being that the child is from Russia I would research the culture, religion, and traditions in Russia, as well as investigate how their school systems are set up. The second thing I would do is try to meet with the family to get more in depth back ground of the family’s culture and their beliefs. The third thing I would do is make sure that the family is involved with providing the classroom with things the child may be comfortable with from their own culture. The fourth thing I would do is encourage the child to embrace their own language and culture. Last but not least, I would allow myself to be open and honest towards the new child as well as the children who were in the center previously, by answering or addressing any questions or uncertainty the children may encounter about themselves and others

 As a professional it is important to research and learn about the children and families you work with, this would give professionals a better idea of the family’s country of origin. Letting families know that you have some knowledge of where they are from, will allow the family to have comfort in feeling accepted. Making efforts to meet with the family  prior to the child attending the program opens up dialect between the professional and the family so that they are able to express what they want for their child, questions from both sides could be answered, and you can go beyond the surface layers of the child and their family. Talking with a child and their family about things they could bring to the classroom that can represent who they are would allow the child to have things that they are familiarize with while exposing the other children to different cultures. Being open and honest with children when they are curious about the identity of themselves and others is important because this can lead to an opportunity to show that child that there are differences in themselves as well as others.

Boutte, G. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice. Social Studies, 99(4), 165--173.https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201340_04/MS_MECS/EDUC_6164/Week%207/Resources/Resources/embedded/Boutte2008.pdf

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I recently watch an episode of the television show” Good Times”. Good Times is a television show that was created in the 1970’s about a black family living in Chicago’s impoverished area. The 1970’s is a time where blacks were seen as an inferior race and was targets of oppression, racial bias, and prejudices. Thus, most of the episodes had some lesson on society institution, the isms, marginalization, culture, privileges, and family culture.

            There were many episodes that focus on these issues but one episode that I recently watch was Thelma a character who is the family only daughter is going to college for theater and dance. Thelma is very passionate about her career in theater and has written a play about a strong woman in her quest for a better life. The director of the theater department has found interest in Thelma’s play and wants to do a production. The theater director is a white male who sends his assistant to review and edit the play with Thelma.  As they are editing the play, the assistant often mentions that the director will like to omit or edit certain parts of the play. Most of the things he was omitting or editing were things pertaining to the black culture for example; he wanted the character’s name to change because it sounded like a black name and his audience would not identify with that name.

            As Thelma’s play began to lose its depth and meaning, she began to feel marginalization, bias, prejudice and discrimination. As a result, she told the assistant that she didn’t mind making changes to her play but she was not going to compromise the play to fit into the norm of society. She states “compromising can sometimes mean to surrender” and that although the woman in the play is black, the play is not about being black, it is about a woman who happens to be black. This statement really rings in my ears that sometimes society forgets the underlining meaning of things and makes a person’s race, sexual orientation, gender, etc more of an issue rather than viewing things for what they truly are. One of the things that would have to change to turn incidents like this from happening, is society’s mind set would have to change. This view of what is considered to being the norm would have to change. The norms in society, results in issues of prejudice and oppression.