Communicative Role Model

The first person I think of when I reflect on a good communicator is a previous, and best boss, that I had had.  She was the director of a large child development center and her excellent communication style created a respectful and welcoming environment that had an amazingly small employee turnover rate.

One of the biggest things that made her effective was her ability to listen and provide supportive advice that required all of us to find our own answers.  In other words, she trusted us enough to uncover our own truths - she could have just given answers but she choose to empower us with supportive questions and 'I statements' that allowed us to know we could discover the best way to handle situations.  I am always reflecting on her mediating skills as well.  She could alleviate any difficult situation by handling it promptly and democratically.

I think of her and her techniques often in particular when handling difficult situations or times of conflict.  I attempt to emulate her ease and truthfulness in her demeanor, verbal and non verbal communication skills.