Demonstrating Competent Communication Skills

“We strive to understand and respect others communications before evaluating and responding to their messages,” (O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, & Teven, 2015).”

My boss and founder of Creative Kids Seattle is someone who demonstrates competent communication skills when it comes to listening before evaluating and responding to other people’s messages. I have seen her in public speaking situations and meeting one on one with parents and staff; and she always listens and responds thoughtfully. More importantly is her interactions when it comes to communicating with children. When she is communicating with children she gets down on their level, she listened to them and even if she disagrees she is very thoughtful about her responses. In return the children are learning communication skills and they honor and respect her, through their interactions with others.

When she is speaking, Grace makes eye contact and her facial expressions say she is listening. Because her first language is not English I think she listens even more intently and even though her responses take more time they are more thoughtful. I would want to model some of my own communication behaviors after her because when she speaks people listen, they value her opinion, and they feel respected in her presence.