5. Identify the importance of effective and inclusive communication including verbal, non-verbal, written and alternative communication methods, with individuals, and within groups to promote learning, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. 

Communicate effectively with verbal, non-verbal, written and alternative communication methods, and within groups to make decisions, solve problems, and resolve conflicts. 

Communicate effectively with verbal, non-verbal, written and alternative communication methods, and within groups to make decisions, solve problems, and resolve conflicts.

Appropriate, effective, clear, and positive communication including body language is essential in everyday life interactions and especially in my early childhood centre for my children, families, and staff and community members. When communicating with another human being I try my best to communicate in a way of how I would like to be communicated to as communication is a two way conversation. I like to reflect back on the golden rule when communicating.

The Golden Rule:

“This rule has been with us since the early 17th century used in Britain by Anglican theologians and preachers.

Treat others as you would like others to treat you

  • positive or directive form

Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated

  • negative or prohibitive form

What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself

  • empathetic or responsive form

The Golden Rule has many forms throughout the world’s major religions. 143 leaders of the world’s major faiths endorsed the Golden Rule as part of the 1993 “Declaration Toward a Global Ethic” (Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Golden Rule. 2020).

Understanding all styles of communication in our early childhood field is valuable to begin, grow, and deepen our relationships with our children, their family members, staff, and community members. And at the same time honesty, trust, respect, and harmonizing develop. Inclusive communication creates a community of support around us all.

 

Non-Verbal Communications – Messages expressed by other than linguistic means.

It is a known fact that a large percentage of communication is expressed through non-verbal communications. Non-verbal signs can provide valuable insight into true feelings. Non-verbal communications are visible in all cultures around the world.

Here are some examples I look for with what I call open -positive and closed – negative non-verbal communications:

Posture / Bodily Stance

  • open: standing tall, open and light body, have a skip in our walk
  • closed: sitting slumped over a chair, closed and heavy body, drag ourselves while walking

Gesture

  • open: blowing a kiss
  • closed: over using hands

Face

  • open: smiling
  • closed: frowning

Eyes

  • open: maintaining eye contact in a conversation
  • closed: intense gaze

 

Voice – Tone – Speed – Pitch – Volume – Number and Length of Pauses, Disfluencies

  • open: tone is light – pitch is soft
  • closed: tone is loud – pitch is sharp

Touch

  • open: friendly fist bump
  • closed: surprising slap to the body

 

Physical, Clothing, Distance, Time, Territoriality, and the Environment all play a role in non-verbal communications also.

When recognizing non-verbal signs I believe it is important to keep in mind family culture. What I view as being a closed non-verbal sign in my cultural beliefs e.g. intense graze, maybe viewed as an open non-verbal sign in their family cultural beliefs.

 

Verbal Communications – Language is used to express messages

Worldwide there are many verbal languages connected to countries and their culture and along with the unique language it also has its own verbal language style. I feel it is important to be aware of the different styles of communication in support of the children and their families in my centre.

Here are some verbal styles of communication:

“Direct – Low-context cultures

  • Use language primarily to express thoughts, feelings. And ideas as clearly and logically as possible.

Indirect – High-context cultures

  • Value language as a way to maintain social harmony. Rather than upset others by speaking clearly, communicators in these cultures learn to discover meaning from the context in which a message is delivered.

Elaborate – Succinct

  • Language that is much richer and expressive, assertion and exaggeration sounding.

Formal

  • using proper speech and a system of relational hierarchies

Informal

  • language with casual friendliness with an approach that characterizes relationships”

(Adler, R.B., Rodman, & G., Sevigny. A. 2019. p. 121 – 125)

 

Non-Verbal and Verbal Communications

From birth an infant interacts by watching and responding, then mimicking facial expressions, to looking back and forth between an object and adult, grunting, pointing or reaching at an object.

A toddler begins to understand meaningful words – mama, facial expressions, gestures, and give and take. One words – two to three words – sentences develop.

A preschool child understands more about non-verbal and verbal communication to be able to express ideas and feelings and enjoy conversations with their peers and stuffed animal friends.

School age children learn communication is about non-verbal and verbal language and listening. Taking turns to communicate with others is important.

Key points I believe in for non-verbal and verbal communications:

  • Age appropriate language – communicating to an infant my non-verbal and verbal language will be different compared to communicating with my colleague peers in a seminar
  • Effective and clear language – not to overload with non-verbal or verbal language and to stay on the related topic/issue
  • Aware of the communication style I use – is it appropriate for the scenario I am in
  • Warm and respectful, and to be competent and assertive with my language
  • Understanding empathy
  • To allow time for others to question my communication when they do not understand what I am trying to say.

 

Attentive and Active Listening

As much as it is to be aware of how I communicate to a person, it is just as important to listen to a person to fully engage and understand their conversation. A process of hearing – listening – attending – understanding – responding – remembering their conversation and an important step for me, to ask questions if I do not understand what they are trying to  express in their message to me. Or I will repeat back to the person what I have heard to clarify I am receiving their message correctly.

Listening is a skill we all have to learn, just like the skill of speaking – language – communicating is a learning process for us all.

I believe to be an attentive and active listener the following key points are important:

  • Be close to the infant, child, person, and group you are listening to
  • Make eye contact at the same level
  • Give non-verbal gestures showing you are engaged in the conversation
  • Give verbal comments and cues to engage, encourage, and expand the conversation
  • Be patient and allow the infant, child, person, and group time to say what they want to say before responding
  • Never rush the conversation
  • Do your best not to interrupt the conversation
  • Respond in a respectful and positive manner
  • Meet an infant’s, a child’s, a person’s, and a group’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs
  • Have an understanding of empathy

 

When I promote learning, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution I work with the golden rule, non-verbal and verbal examples and key points, attentive and active listening examples and key points. All together it takes hard work and an open mind to communicate well with infants, children, adults, and groups of all ages. Sometimes it is easy, difficult, comfortable uncomfortable, safe, and unsafe when communicating with others. If an issue, problem, or unsolved situation arises with promoting learning, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution, reaching out to another staff member, a critical friend, a community member to collaborate I feel is a positive way to learn, grow, gain more knowledge to understand how to communicate clearer in regards to the issue, problem, and or situation. It also opens up the opportunity to learn a different way to communicate with the person(s) involved. Sometimes it takes for another person, not I, to communicate to a person due to their relationship and or flow of communication they have between themselves.

 

Written Communications

Within our centre we have many different styles of written communications:

“Children’s Learning” – web mapping – when we talk about a topic or question, e.g. “How does a flower grow? “Let’s talk about bears”, an educator will write/draw a web map on our white board with ideas and concepts of what the children understand about how a flower grows. Then the educator will prompt and give clues about how a flower grows to encourage the children to deepen their thinking skills.

“Children’s Observation Records” – an educator observes a child through an observation lens, to learn what a child is seeing, hearing, and to observe their knowledge and understanding skill levels. Through documentation and interpretation the educator then has a better understanding of how to improve and support the child’s learning and development journey by providing experiences and materials to meet the child’s needs.

“About Our Day” White Board – children’s quotes, interests, events, messages, photos and learning outcomes of the day are displayed on the white board for both children and families to view.

“Family Communication” White Board – is our communication tool to our families with up to date information about the centre, friendly reminders to return forms, payments are due, class photo day, and health and safety notifications.

“Staff Members Education Certificates” displayed for our licensing officer, staff and parents/families to view.

“Parent Handbook with Child Care Protocols, Policies, Procedures, and Child Care Agreement” – displayed and available for our licensing officer, staff and parents/families to view.

“Daily Safety and Inspection Checks” – displayed and available for our licensing officer, staff, and parents/families to view.

“Emergence Telephone Numbers and Exit Plans” – displayed for our licensing officer, staff and parents/families to view.

 

Alternative communication methods

 Children’s Art, Experiences, and Learning Outcomes – making learning visible

  • Displayed on the walls of the centre for the children to admire and reflect on
  • Posted on the centres Face book page for both children and families to view together
  • Displayed on our “About Our Day” White Board

“Technology communication – advances children’s abilities to reflect upon their play and learning and add new information from their research to their play

  • Video Recordings
  • Cameras – photographs
  • Tablets – video – camera – access to the internet”

(Dietze. B, & Kashin. D. 2016 p.248).

 

Environment – Indoor and Outdoor

I believe the environment surrounding the children plays a role in communication also. I am happy to say our centre is warm, inviting, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, which allows our children to feel happy, comfortable, and secure.

When I promote learning, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution I keep in mind the environment surrounding the children. Space, wall colours, lighting, materials, natural lightening, soft comfortable furnishing, music to soft to loud, sound barriers, temperature too hot to cold, equipment safety, white noise, all these elements in environment effect everyone differently and possibly trigger behaviour concerns.

It is important to have a comfortable and an age/development appropriated environment design layout to allow children to:

  • Play on their own
  • Space to play with a friend
  • Group space for all children to be together
  • Different zone areas – Quiet, art, active, music, gross motor play etc

Having different spaces and zones gives children a positive environment to learn in. When collaborating on building a structure the children and educator have a space to problem solve together. When a child and educator need space to resolve conflict, there is a quiet space to talk together. And when an educator and parent need a moment to communicate there is a semi private space for them.

 

Communication is continuously changing throughout my day in my centre with our children of different ages and stages, different cultural backgrounds, different situations going on in own individual lives, different topics of interests, using different communication tools to enhance learning, decision making and to resolve conflict, and to support different social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.

To cope with all these amazing, developing, challenging, and rewarding changes in my day, 

I stay positive, honest, respectfully, and add a little humor to mix it all up.

                                                                                                                                         J.P.B.

62 Top Communication Quotes And Sayings

 

Examples of Documents: Direct

ECC 157 Critical Thinking Probe Assignment

ECC 157 Groups Skills Assignment – Stereotypes

ECC 157 Critically Observing Communication Skills – Movie Assignment

Examples of Documents: Indirect

Facility Manager – Linda’s After School Care May 2018

Parent Letter Lindsay McCotter January 2018

Effective Circle Times Feb 2009

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy July 2019

 

References

Adler, R.B., Rodman, & G., Sevigny. A. 2019. Understanding Human Communication. Fourth Canadian Edition. Don Mills, Ontario. Oxford University Press.

Dietze. B, & Kashin. B. 2016. Empowering Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education. Don Mills. Ontario. Pearson Canada Inc.

Miller. D.F. 2013. Positive Child Guidance, 7th Edition. Wadsworth. Belmont, CA, USA.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 2020. Golden Rule. Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule#:~:text=The%20Golden%20Rule%20is%20the,in%20most%20religions%20and%20cultures.&text=The%20maxim%20may%20appear%20as,you%20(positive%20or%20directive%20form)