Communication and Culture

Communication is important because without it we do not know what is going on.  As hard as it is to admit I do communicate with people in different ways.  At my school the population of Spanish speaking families grows every year.  I find myself speaking slower and using fewer words, assuming they do not speak very good English.  In some cases this is not true.  Another example of changing the way I communicate is when dealing with a family who may be lower income or less educated.  I hate to admit this but I do change the way I communicate with them.  I lose my good speech that I would normally use at work.  This is very unprofessional for me to do this and it is something that I noticed and began working on last school year.  I would like to treat everyone with the same amount of respect because everyone deserves it.  Everyone deserves my best effort even when it is through communication.

Three strategies I can use to help communicate better is:
* Look beyond first impressions.  Give each person a chance to talk and treat them equally no matter what their appearance is.
* Choose my words carefully so that I do not offend someone.  When talking with parents, I have to practice giving bad news in a good way.
* I will also take my time and truly listen and hear what people are saying.  I have a very bad habit of tuning out parts of a conversation.

What is communication?

As a communicator I know I have some growing to do.  I have never been one to speak up or speak out.  I have always been afraid to speak in front of people.  My former principal was a great communicator.  I feel Mrs. Kelly is a great communicator because she is a very confident but not overly confident speaker.  She was always well spoken.  She got her point across without being overbearing and loud.  She gained everyones respect by being a great communicator.  Mrs. Kelly made me feel comfortable and because of her I feel like I will one day be a great communicator.  I would love to model some of my communication methods after her because she is very knowledgable and a speaker you would not mind listening to.