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Principles of Effective Communication

Accept Parents Statements Accepting parents statements means conveying through


verbal and nonverbal means that parents input is valued. Parents are more likely to speak
freely and openly when they believe what they say is respected. Acceptance means
conveying, I understand and appreciate your point of view. It does not mean the teacher
must agree with everything that a parent says.
Listen Actively
Good listeners attend and respond to a conversation partner in a
sincere and genuine manner. A good listener pays attention to content, noting who said it
and how. For example, in an IFSP/IEP conference attended by extended family members,
an educator should notice if a grandparent seems to be speaking for the childs parents or
if the mother and father express different opinions about an issue through tones of voice
or body language. An active listener not only interprets, sorts, and analyzes what the
speaker says but also responds to the speakers message with animation and interest (V.F.
Howard, Williams, Lepper, 2005). Figure 3.3 illustrates the skill of active listening.
Question Effectively
To the extent possible, educators should use open-ended
questions when communicating with parents, especially during conferences. For example,
an open-ended question such as What did Sharena do with the take home pack last week?
is more likely to evoke a descriptive and informative reply from parents than is the closedended question Did Sharena like the take home pack? which might result in a yes or no
response. Questions to parents should not focus solely on problems or deficits, and
teachers must respect families desire to keep some things private and in the family (A.
Turnbull et al., 2006).
Encourage It is important for parents to hear good news about their son or daughter.
Describing or showing parents specific instances of their childs good behavior or improved
performance encourages parental involvement.
Stay Focused
Although greetings and some small talk are desirable before getting
down to business, conversations between parents and teachers should focus on the childs
educational program and progress. Educators must be sensitive to cultural differences and
the idiosyncratic conversational styles of individual families (Gonzalez-Mena, 2006; Lynch
& Hanson, 2004) But teachers must also learn to distinguish when extended small talk is
drifting too far from the purpose at hand so that they can refocus the conversation.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2006). The young child in the family and the community (4thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Howard, V.F., Williams, B.F.., & Lepper, C. (2005). Very young children with specialneeds: A formative approach to todays children
(3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Lynch, E. & Hanson, M. (2004). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with children and their families (3rd ed.).
Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Turnbull, A., Turnbull, H., Erwin, E. & Soodak, L. (2006). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcomes through
partnership and trust (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

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