Saturday, September 5, 2015

Good Communicator

What makes someone a great communicator?  There could be different qualities that appeal to different people.  However, most good communicators know how to communicate on a personal level.  They know how to be specific, they don't pack a lot of fluff into what they are saying and they stay on topic.  Good communicators ask questions and ask for clarification when things aren't clear.  They can read body language and they are good at controlling their own body language.  Most importantly, good communicators are good listeners.

My supervisor is a great communicator!  She has a calm demeanor, speaks clearly, and is sensitive to how others are feeling.  She can put a positive spin on difficult situations.  I'm not sure if I could ever actually communicate as well as she does becuase her sensitivity and positive affect are a part of her personality.  I am more direct and not as "warm and fuzzy."


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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2015 at 10:47 PM

    Jennifer,
    I am pretty good at being sensitive, but I am really bad at controlling my facial expressions and nonverbal communication. My staff, my friends, and my family all tell me I wear my feelings right on my face. They know my "mad look" and steer clear of me when I am wearing it. I try to not show it because as an administrator I need to be available to staff, families, children, other professionals when they need me. This is my work in progress, blanking my face better.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2015 at 11:23 PM

    Jennifer,
    As supervisors it is part of our job description to be able to communicate effectively with our staff. Throughout the years that I have heard many supervisors say that they cannot be friends with their staff due to insubordination, but believe it or not I have been working at East Coast for 16 years and I am friends with everyone there and have not had any problems. I always tell the staff that we are friends outside the gate, but once we are inside I am their supervisor and we have had a very good working relationship. I am very easy to get along with, but there have been times that I have had to write people up because of in-disciplines. In order to be a good supervisor you have to be open-minded and always put yourself in their shoes...i don't ask them to do anything that I have not done or will not do. I have not forgotten where I started and always treat my staff with respect.

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  3. A Mothers Wish Toddlers to ScholarsSeptember 6, 2015 at 1:29 AM

    Jennifer,
    I think that it is awesome that you are inspired from your supervisor. Often times we hear more of how we do not like our superiors in our workplace. I would love to know that my employees thought of me in that manner. If I were to be honest, I would say that my employees probably do not like me; but they respect me and our mission. I also believe that they love me and the work that they do. I encourage them to better for themselves in order to encourage others; but I am not always (actually never) warm and fuzzy about it. I would love to learn to be more empathetic rather than the direct person that I am with "No shades of Grey", as one of my teachers often says.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2015 at 11:53 AM

    Jennifer,
    I think it is really important that you mention that different people would consider a good communicator to have different qualities. I think thats true because I know it is easier for me to communicate with certain people, while others don't agree. I do also agree that there is a general sense of what it means to be a good communicator but there may also be specific qualities that work for other other that don't work for others. I think this is probably true for different cultures as well.

    Nicole Zarilla

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