Friday, September 5, 2014

Communication

The one person that I would like to emulate as a model for positive communication skills is my mother. I say this because she is a person who can go into any situation and feel confident that she can convey her thoughts aloud to anyone be it a group or one-on-one. She is a secretary for the state, and she communicates with everyone from students, to custodial staff, interns and resident/researching doctors. She has this amazing ability that makes everyone instantly comfortable and willing to talk with her no matter their station. She also has an eloquence about her that allows her to not just be able to speak with but actually carry out intellectual conversations with people with far more "education and status" that she has in the world. However, she can also talk to the "peons" of the world and not make them feel insufficient or uneducated compared to how she speaks! It truly is amazing.
She is also someone who when she asks questions (personal or not) she actually cares and wants to her the answers to what they have to say. She isn't one to just make polite conversation because it is the right thing to do in our society. She actually takes a genuine interest in what is being told to her, even if she doesn't fully understand the context (like some of the research the doctors are doing) but she listens and asks more questions to try to clarify.
My mom also has this ability to speak to people who are angry or unreasonable and help them to see they are being unruly. She speaks to them in a way that she actually drops her voice to a lower octave and speaks slower in a calm soothing manor. She works a personal mediator between my father and I who don't always see eye to eye and can come out in a yelling match. When I was younger and living at home this was a serious problem, but my mom was always able to handle the situation, I have NO idea how she did it. When I am upset or mad I call her and she is somehow able to look at situations from different angles and show me different perspective or talk me through different situations because of this ability. 

YES!! She is someone that I try  to model in my everyday life, and remember how she would feel if I communicated something in a negative way. If she is unhappy with the way I might handle something (communication wise) I would rethink my response or actions.


2 comments:

  1. Great post!!!!
    Having a mother is a competent communicator awesome! My mother is a competent communicator also. She is a great listener also. Whenever I have a problem, she is always there to listen and provide me with helpful information to help me along the way. She is very understanding and empathizes with others. Even when she doesn't agree with what I or someone else is saying, she will still listen without interrupting. I am trying to model her because sometimes when I don't agree with what someone is saying, I quickly interrupt, which is not right. I am going to work on this.

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  2. Wow! What an awesome compliment. Amazing what you find when you "just for fun" google your daughters name. But my daughter has made me the person I am today. I am so very proud of the person and the teacher that you have become. I wish you all the best as you continue on your path to higher education. I admire your commitment, and your fortitude is boundless overcoming all the hurdles that have been thrown at you. Your students are so very lucky and they will never know how hard you have worked to have the privilege of being their teacher. Love you always and forever.

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