Competent Communication

Someone that I admire for their competent communication is a friend and coworker of mine. He's very good at making his thoughts known and getting his words across while keeping others in mind when doing so. He never wants people to be uncomfortable or upset but at the same time wants to make sure the other person understands him.

When speaking, he's very calm and level-headed. Even if he's upset with something, he knows how to take a step back and not show how upset he actually is. After all is said and done, he'll often drop that façade and allow us to see how he really feels. He'll also talk about that feeling afterwards so it doesn't stay bottled up inside. He wants to make sure that those around him know what's going on so that we can help however the best way to help him is.

I do try to model how I communicate after his own behavior. I think it works best especially when working with the children and the families. If you can talk to them in a certain way while also being up front about things, they'll be more likely to talk to you without there being as many problems. Often times, I feel like parents tend to get defensive when you are talking to them, especially if the child has done something that warrants a discussion. But the way in which he talks to parents, there is an understanding between them that I would like to try and emulate when I talk with the parents as well.