Speaking
in public is not always a comfortable or smooth process; however it is important
to be confident and comprehensible when communicating leading policy change. I
think one part of being confident when communicating policy change comes from
being knowledgeable about the topic you are presenting to your audience, which
is legislator. Once educators demonstrate their knowledge about children and families
and use their power of advocacy regarding early childhood education, they are
able to provide a clear explanation to representatives who do not have a
background in education on the matter at hand. Representatives or senators are
the only ones that can guide a policy through the process, so in order to
influence legislators, your message must be clear and establishing a
relationship through face-to-face meetings becomes a more effective way of
communicating.
My
communication strengths consist of being comfortable and knowledgeable of a
subject; therefore, I have no problem talking to small or large groups. In most
cases my comfort level on topics like early childhood education, becomes a natural
process whether I am speaking or advocating for early childhood education. According
to the “communication anxiety questionnaire”, which measures my communication
level, it stated that I feel comfortable in most situations and feel confident
in anticipating such encounters. I have to be honest, there have been times
when I am nervous speaking to different size groups of people, but I make sure
to be prepared with an agenda, therefore, I won’t forget to say something that
could be of major importance. In contrast to my strengths, according to the “communication
anxiety questionnaire”, one of the results stated that I feel somewhat
concerned about a number of communication contexts, but probably not all. This
mid-point level of communication anxiety is what they call “situational”. I believe
the passion of the speaker is what makes the communication effective.
Reference
Pillow-Price,
K. L. (2009). Influencing legislation—Advocacy basics. Dimensions of Early
Childhood, 37(3), 18–23.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences. I agree that being prepared and knowledgeable about your topic is important when communication on a professional level. One must appear to have their ideas organized and well thought out. Also, I agree that passion can make a person communicate well with an audience. At the same time passion can hinder a presenter because they have so much invested in the topic. I believe that when planning to communicate with a group of professionals, one must be prepared to received positive and negative feedback. Choose your battles wisely. Thank you so much for sharing!
Randi
Hello Susan,
ReplyDeleteSo true, there is an awesome strength one receive when being comfortable and knowledgeable of their issue, it make communicating one’s passion to a group so much easier; this is a skill that can be taught to many that are fearful when speaking to others. If one focus on what they know, the jitters will go away as they communicate what is in the heart. An educator that loves what she does is nice, but an educator that is passionate about what she loves is priceless. The difference? To love it is to tell the world about it, to have passion is to show the world what it look like and how it is done. Yes, I am playing with words; nevertheless, I believe that one’s passion brings about a comfort zone of strength and determination second to nothing else.
Great blog,
Synera
Thank you Susan for your blog post. I totally agree, when you believe in something wholly, it can ease your stress of speaking in public. I also think it helps for people to realize you are genuine in your passion on what you are speaking on. Thank you! Cissy
ReplyDeleteSpeaking in public is also something I would like to work on. I get so nervous that I begin to stumble over my words or even forget what it is that I was going to say. This certainly is a skill that I would also like to improve for when I stand infront of more powerful people to explain my policy changes. The more we practice it the better we will be!!! Great Post!
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