Who Am I as a Communicator?

The one thing that surprised me the most about myself as a communicator is that others think that I am a confident person who doesn't get scared when I have to speak at meetings or in front of groups of people. The truth is that I get very scared and I try very hard to hide it. I guess I do that well because they could not tell. I have always had a hard time being in the spot light, even as a child.

I learned this week that it is important to be a good or great communicator when talking with parents, children and/or co-workers. It is very important to have good communication skills when dealing with others in your private life as well as your professional life.

Communicating With Others

When I communicate with people there is a difference in the way I talk or act. If I am talking to my family, and my friends.  I am able to relax and act silly, laugh, or just cry and get angry if I need too. My family and friends understand me and will forgive me if I get ahead of myself and get a little crazy. That's what family and friends are for.

When I am at work I am refined, professional, and calm. I do communicate with my co-workers and my boss with the up-most respect and as professional as I can. So to answer the question, yes, I do communicate with my family and friends differently then I do at work or with others that are not part of my personal life. 

I believe that everyone communicates with different groups of people in different ways. It's only natural. You wouldn't act the same with your family and friends as you would with your co-workers or your boss, would you?

Communication Skills

On the show "Castle" I think that the characters have a wonderful relationship with each other. They have a mutual respect for each other and they are very close with each other. They"re feelings and expressions for each other are based on several nonverbal skills that I observed. The way they look at each other, the way their body language is when they are near each other, and the smiles that they give each other told me that they were very close with each other and they were friends.

When I watched the show with the sound turned off I still got the same vibe as I did with the sound on. Even though I could not hear what they were saying the characters nonverbal language was speaking loud and clean to me. They are all friends and they have a great deal of respect for each other.

Competent Communication

 

 

Susan Harrington

Current

• Vice President at Arlington Friends of the Drama
• Membership Director at Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres

 Websites

• EMACT
• Foundation for Children's Book
• Toastmasters International

Susan Harrington

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

I am a former classroom teacher in the public school classroom setting. I actively participate in the activities of two area children’s literature organizations.

EXPERIENCE

Able to provide instruction to various grade levels
Integrated multiple teaching styles
Stimulated classroom instruction through varied forms of media and instructional materials
Extensive background in children’s literature
Customized several Internet classroom projects
TASKS & DUTIES

Adapted teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Administered standardized ability and achievement tests and interpret results to determine student strengths and areas of need.
Attended professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
Attended staff meetings and served on committees, as required.
Collaborated teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs.
Conferred with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons,following approved curricula.

EXPERIENCES & ACTIVITIES

CLNE Colloquy participant and former summer institute participant and discussion group leader
WGBY/57 NTTI participant & Master Teacher, WGBY/57 2001 Technology in Education Award
Japan Fulbright Memorial Teacher participant 2001
Fitchburg State College adjunct faculty

Specialties

Participated in several Global School Network projects:
Post Card Geography
Classroom Forest
Webster Williston's Wandering Bear
WGBY Master Teacher
Recipient of the NTTI/WGBY/57 Technology in Education Award
Fulbright Memorial Teacher Fund participant 2001
MIT Sea Grant Award recipient
Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatre board member
Member of Toastmasters International
Flat Stanley Project participant

 I would model my own communication behaviors after this person because she is an inspiration to me. She started out as a teacher and because of her hard work and dedication to children and families she is able to speak at conferences and do all the wonderful things to help children and families that I would like to be able to do.