10 Habits of Highly Effective Parent/Teacher Communication

DR. Shelly Arneson Author and Educational consultantwww.arnesoncommunicates.weebly.comArnesoncommunicates@gmail.com850-598-5231

Communicate and Motivate: The School Leaders Guide to Effective Communication

Introduce self---experience as teacher, counselor, and principal in communicating and building relationships and engagement with others.Take a moment to think back to your last conversation with a teacher, whether it was about a parent concern, their evaluation, or any other reason. Which of the following song lyrics best characterizes your encounter? Stand up and call out Thats it! when you hear the one. Everybodys working for the weekend.; Crazy; Everyone remembers Breads song It Dont Matter to Me; You Dont Briing Me Flowers; R-E-S-P-E-C-T; Why Cant We Be Friends? Take this Job and Shove it-----oh no, how did that get in there? Why do we relate more to those than Celebrate Good Times, Come on; or What a Wonderful World this would be*One idea for encouraging communication between parents and teachers is to put these songs on a CD and have teachers move to the song with which they relate before Open House, etc.

1CommunicateWhy is communication between school leaders and teachers so important?

2Take a tour through the chapters!

3Its Not What You Say; Its How You Say It

Id like to see your lesson plans for this week.4Chapter 4: Seek First to UnderstandSeek first to understand, then to be understood.----(Covey, 1990)Break it down:SeekFirstto UnderstandThenTo Be UnderstoodWillingnessQuote at the beginning of the chapterExamples?

5Chapter 5:One on one conversationsRemember the teacher was in the observation too!Two kisses and a wishQuestions versus adviceUse evidence

6Chapter 6: Avoid DefensivenessHow do you want to be treated?

Begin with the end in mind.Recognize your triggers.Everything that I believe is wrong with you is wrong with me.-----Indigo Girls

7Build your skillsWhat books or articles have you read that will increase your effectiveness with people?*Dealing With Difficult Parents by Todd Whitaker and Douglas Fiore*How to Deal With Parents Who Are Angry, Troubled, Afraid, or Just Plain Crazy by Elaine McEwan*How to Handle Difficult Parents by Suzanne Capek TingleyWatch the winners----who is good at communication? Watch role-models.

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What is YOUR legacy?

9Legacy (Key-D-Premiere Performance Plus W/ Background Vocals)Nichole NordemanPremiere Performance Plus: Legacy, track 1/4, disc 1/12009Christian & Gospel233863.17eng - Amazon.com Song ID: 212101938