Communication and Parent Programs Chapter 5 Perry C. Hanavan

Effective Communication Parents have high expectations regarding teacher’s communication –No spelling errors –Articulate

Communication Components M E L T Message Environment Listener Talker

Communication What is said –Words/Verbal Stimuli (7% of input) Auditory message conveyed –Vocal and Tonal Stimuli (38% of input) Visual message conveyed –Gestures/Body Language/Visual Stimuli (55% of input)

Communication Aggressive conversational style –hostile, belligerent, bad attitude –blames others –denies, dominates, interrupts Passive conversational style –withdraws, bluffs, avoids Assertive conversational style –takes responsibility for managing communication –respects the rights of others –openly and honestly expresses needs and emotions

Assignment During the next two days: 1. analyze your communication behavior 2. analyze 2 people you communicate with daily and determine their style 3. select the communication style you prefer others use

Conversation Sharing ideas Relating experiences Telling stories Expressing needs Instructing Influencing Establishing intimacy

Rules of Conversation Agree to share one another’s interests Ensure all share in talking Participate in topic Take turns talking Relevant topic discussion Succinct messages

Conversational Fluency Definition: –how smoothly conversation unfolds

Conversational Fluency Factors Time spent repairing communication breakdowns –if need for clarification is low, then fluency is high Exchange of information and ideas –is conversation easily and successfully share information, then fluency is high Speaking time shared –equal time, few silences, few interruptions, then fluency is high

Index of Sharing Speaking Time Conversational turn: –period participant delivers a contribution to a conversation Mean length (speaking) turn (MLT) –average number of words spoken during a set number of conversational turns Mean length turn ratio (MLT ratio) –ratio of two speakers in a conversation

Example 1: Conversational Fluency Teacher: Is Sarah studying at home, much? Parent: Yes, and I’m thrilled with her. Teacher: You said several weeks ago she only watched TV and used her PlayStation after school. Parent: Yes, but we have been following your suggestions of turning off the TV. Teacher’s MLT = 8.0 words (16 words/2 utterances) Parent’s MLT = 9.0 words (18 words/2 utterances) MLT ratio: 0.9 (1.0 = equal length of speaking time)

One-Way Communication Newsletters Media Handbooks Letters Notes

Two-Way Communication Telephone Home visits Parent visits Parent-teacher conferences

Parent Roadblocks Protector role Inadequate-me role Avoidance role Indifferent role Don’t make waves role Club-waving role

School Roadblocks Authority-figure role Sympathetic-counselor role Pass the buck role Protect the empire role Busy teacher role

Cooley’s Looking-Glass-Self How you view yourself depends on your perceptions of how others see you –the imagination of our appearance to the other person (imaging self) –the imagination of other’s judgment of that appearance (interpreting others reactions) –some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification (self-image)

A Teacher’s Looking Glass "I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; I know I can be a lady to you because you always treat me as a lady and always will." View parents as subordinates (flower girl) View parents as partners (lady)

Parent Teacher Conference Ten tips