I would say that I communicate differently everyday in my life. When I am at work, I am a social worker and with that I have 3 hats that I wear. We are taught in training that we have to role play and switched hats accordingly in this field. There is the tough hat that lets the individual know that you are not playing with them and there will be consequences taken if certain things are not done. Then there is there is the nice hat. I try to wear this hat more than the other two. The nice hat is when I give it my all and go the extra mile to help the families. Then there is the hat that has the best interest for the child. The advocate hat, meaning keeping the child best interest at heart and at the same time in a safe environment. That includes removing them from their homes if I have too.
When I am around my friends, I can say that I communicate differently from when I am at work. I can be myself and say whatever I want to say. I do not have to think about what I am saying and worry about the tone and the effects of what I say. When I am with my husband and kids, I communicate differently as well. There are just certain things that I would not say around my husband that I say to my friends. With my children, I always try to be positive even when I am upset with them. They can feel the nonverbal body language. Sometimes I do not have to say one world and they k now that they are in trouble.
Thinking about this week topic made me look deep inside myself. At first I thought that maybe I am bi-polar…….LOL But the fact is we all communicate on a daily basis about how we communicate is based on who you are and maybe where you are at.
Lavonda,
ReplyDeleteAs a former social worker I clearly understand your many hats. I also tried to wear the "nice hat" more than any other hat. I found it the most effective communication tool in this line of work. I found I gained trust, respect, and cooperation by being the understanding advocate for the children and their families. My least favorite hat was the tough hat, but it was a necessary skill to have. Also another hat which I found effective was the honesty hat. If you do (or do not) this, this is the consequence. I did not hide anything from the families.
Only another social worker can truly understand the communication skills needed. You have to communicate with children, teens, adults, legal staff, judges, other professionals, and people with mental health or intellectual challenges, and across many many cultures. I learned so much about communication in the field of social work.
Meredith
Meredith
I loved your analogy concerning the hats. You are right we all wear different hats daily that require different communication methods. I think life would be really boring if we were stuck communicating in the same manner!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your hat and this is so true in early education. We wear so many different hats and I am also learning to watch my tone and body language because children can pick up so much just from the way talk and act.
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