Using Communication Skills to Enact Change

Effective communication skills can have a significant impact on a person's life, the way they carry out job responsibilities, and how they interact with the people around them and their environment.  As defined by Helpguide.org, "Effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication, attentive listening, the ability to manage stress in the moment, and the capacity to recognize your own emotions..." (Helpguide.org, n.d.). The two skills most salient to policy change are the ability to listen attentively and emotional awareness.

Attentive listening opens the lines of communication between people. In an attempt to share one's own thoughts, it is equally important that the people that you are communicating with feel that they have been heard and understood. "Successful listening means...understanding how the speaker feels about what they are communicating," (Helpguide.org, n.d.). When you give a person the opportunity to express their thoughts, fears, or concerns, you open the lines of communication by showing that you respect and value what they have to say, even if you don't agree with their viewpoint. In relation to policy change, it is crucial to know about other's viewpoints in order to make the most informed decisions regarding all sides of an issue.

Emotional awareness is another key skill to have when communicating. Emotional awareness refers to the ability the recognize your own emotions and the emotions of others in order to manage them accordingly (Helpguide.org, n.d.). This awareness helps a person to separate how they are feeling with the situation at hand. People are less likely to be persuaded on an issue when there is too much emotion involved. Being able to manage your feelings allows you to present your agenda with a clear and concise message, without letting your emotions take over.

As a scholar-practitioner eager to promote social change, I feel comfortable in most public-speaking situations. I am able to carry myself with poise and confidence and deliver information to people in various settings and situations. As an area of improvement, I recognize that I need to listen more attentively to others and consider their viewpoints in order to come to a compromise on certain topics. Managing stress in one-on-one and small group settings is also an area of improvement. If I listen more attentively to others in smaller settings, I could better understand varying viewpoints, which would encourage colleagues to trust in me and my agenda efforts.


References

Helpguide.org. (n.d.). Effective communication. Retrieved June 4,2014, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm

Social Media's Influence on Policy Issues

Early learning standards are a key component in any comprehensive early childhood program. As stated by Copple and Bredekamp (2009), "High-quality, developmentally appropriate standards are important guides in curriculum development and in teaching," (p. 42). Standards are an important part of planning and assessment for teachers. Knowing what children are expected to learn can also inform parents about the progress their child is making in relation to what is being taught in the classroom. Building partnerships with parents is one of the most effective ways to support the learning of young children. For this reason, it is important to provide parents with resources and information about what children are learning their school programs. Disseminating this information through the use of social media is a fast and effective way to keep stakeholders in the community informed about the standards and curriculum. Two possible types of social media that would be appropriate for my current setting would be through Wiki page (or web page) and a blog.

The Wiki would contain all of the latest information regarding the curriculum. This information would include the current projects being taught, standards and objectives of the projects, vocabulary, and tips for parents on ways to support learning at home. Keeping the Wiki up-to-date with the latest events will help facilitate communication between teachers and parents and support children's learning.

It would also be helpful to publish a blog that is open to teachers and parents about the latest trends and research in early childhood education. This type of social media would give parents and teachers a forum in which to express their views on certain topics in early childhood. It would encourage open communication about important issues among all stakeholders. As stated by June, Hong, and Sung-Min (2011), "Social media users...are now learning to express their opinions carefully and avoid posting content that they do not want to be held accountable for," (p.127). Since you can be held accountable for your opinions, it would be important to monitor the interactions and opinions expressed in the blog entries. The primary goal of a blog would be to open communication among stakeholders in order to shift conversations towards compromise and understanding with respect to best practice.

References

Copple, C., & S. Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally Appropraite Practice in Ealry Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

June, P., Hong, C., & Sung-Min, P. (2011). Social media's impact on policy making. SERI Quarterly,4(4), 125–129.