That is a great point Jason. One can never assume that all involved are on the same page. You sound like you have a good grasp on this topic.
I will work to develop my face to face communication. I need to give less details to the other person and focus on the essential.
I prefer face to face communication although i need to be brief. I like the fact that I can interact with the students in person and understand their body language.
In a telephone conversation you should not interrupt abrutly the person you are talking to. You must be a good listener. You must go be clear. Preparing the key elements of your conversation will help tremendously. By listening to the other person, you will be able to catch the main idea of the sentences and reply appropriately. Myself, I prefer face to face converstion. I am very comfortable with the students on a face to face conversation. However, I have to improve the way I handle the conversation.
Thanks Caroline. I can understand why you prefer face-to-face conversation, typically you can pick up more queues from this type of communication. However, it sounds like you understand the importance of listening over the phone too. I wonder, what is your plan for improving the way you handle the conversation, as you mentioned?
Yes, reading body language can be extremely helpful in understanding and listening in a conversation. Can you tell me more about the need to be brief in the conversation?
My email communication is definately one I will work on. So many times as the module discussed things can be misinterpreted, which can cause way more harm than intended. This is something you want to prevent, being that this is a technology age mayn people use emails and text to communicate. So to be able to communicate effectively through email is vital.
communication through email. In most cases, I send out standard emails to everyone. I am going to try to take a more personal approach by applying the personalized statements suggested here.
That's great, Maria! When you say you send out "standard emails", is this something that you've created or your institution? If created by the institution, be sure you discuss your plans with the appropriate individuals to get approval. Good luck moving forward!
The communication method I would like to work on and develop more is my face to face method. I believe that it is one of the most important out of the other two. My phone skills are more like a second nature to me, so I don't seem to have a problem. But when faced with someone who is standing in front of you wanting to know more information or understanding what their goals are, I find it a little difficult to stay on track because of being so unprepared. Everyone is different and they're all looking for different courses to fit their life, so I'm always on my toes about what to say.
Wonderful awareness, Antigone. It sounds like you'd like to improve your face to face interactions to help give you a certain level of comfort with the individual in front of you. You mention that you feel as though your phone skills are second nature. Tell me, are there any methods that you use on the phone that you think could translate well in face to face interactions? If so, what are those methods and how would you use them in a face to face communication?
My best communication method is face-to-face, so I need to work a little more on the e-mail method, to be able to get a higher response percentage from the e-mails I sent.
Excellent insights, Piedad. It's wonderful to hear that you feel confident in your face to face communications. I wonder, what might you do in your face to face communications that could translate well into your emails? What specific techniques do you think you could use?
I think it has a lot to do with "product knowledge." It's easier when you have a "cheat sheet" next to you as oppose to your memory. It's a little less nerve wrecking when you aren't faced with someone face to face because they don't see any of your facial expressions or body language. With facing someone who is face to face they see everything, so I really hope that I can say that my body language is 99% positive when speaking with someone.
It sounds like phone interactions are easier for you because you have information at your fingertips that you can glance at to jog your memory,is that right? One way you can check to see how your body language is coming across is to simply ask the individual you are communicating with. Maybe start with a friend or colleague, based on what they're seeing you can adjust accordingly. Good luck!
WE COMMUNICATE FACE TO FACE AND TELEPHONE
BE A GOOD LISTENER ON THE PHONE
Both are common methods of communication with students, Nora. I'm curious, which method poses more of a challenge to you and what do you do to improve your communication when using that method?
Great awareness, Nora. Listening on the phone takes a great deal of skill as there are any number of distractions that can inhibit your ability to listen. What specifically will you do to improve your listening skills on the phone?
First impressions are important to establish rapport and trust with the prospective student. In the Admissions Department, the primary first contact is by telephone, therefore I want to develop my phone skills. Before the calls, I plan on developing an outline and key points to address so I can focus on keeping my tone warm and my attention focussed.
