Rasmussen EEC 3005 - Communication Barriers and Solutions

1Communication Barriers and SolutionsKiersten WallerRasmussen CollegeEEC3005CBE: Communication and Connections for Early ChildhoodJoy Moss19 July, 20202Communication Barriers and SolutionsBarrier Negative Impacts Why this Should beAddressedResponsive SolutionsLanguage Families with alanguage barriercould easily feelisolated from theECE program. Thiscould negativelyimpact theprogram bymaking familiesfeel like they arenot as importantor are not beingtreated as equallyas other families. This should be addressedso that families feelcomfortable in yourprogram and overcomingthis language barrier “willallow educators to betterform effectivepartnerships with duallanguage families”(Moss). It is important to putthe home languageof the family first –this means “usingresources in multiplelanguages to aid yourcommunication”(Moss) with thesefamilies and possiblygetting a translator tomake theseconversations runsmoother. Time Families withlimited time tocommunicateother than drop-off and pick-uptimes often wantto be moreinvolved butsimply cannot. Thiscould negativelyimpact theprogram bymaking familiesfeel like they needto neglect theirownresponsibilities,obligations, oroccupations inorder to be a partof events andexperiences withinthe center. This should be addressedso that all families haveopportunity to partake inevents and experiencegoing on throughout thecenter. If this is notaddressed, you will notbe able to successfullyaccommodate thesefamilies or formconnections with them. “You should provideopportunities forfamilies to contributeto the center andprogram on aschedule that worksbest for them”(Moss). This willensure familyinvolvement issuccessful in theprogram. Involvingfamilies aroundtypical center hoursmay accommodatethese families,however anothersolution could be toallow these familiesto provide materialsfor events if theycannot attend thatway, they still feelincluded in theprogramexperiences. Resources Families who donot have theresources thatThis should be addressedso that educators canprovide and improviseSolutions to thisbarrier can be asimple as improvising3other families docan createcommunicationdifficulties. Thiscan negativelyimpact theprogram bymaking thesefamilies feel likethey are not goodenough for havingresources such asmoney ortechnology andcan ultimatelycause a barrierbetween familiesand staff of theECE program. other ways tocommunicate with thesefamilies in thesesituations. If a familyfeels left out from theculture of the program, itmay cause them to feelleft out and could causethem to seek other careoptions for their child. communicationmethods; forexample, if familiesdon’t have a lot ofaccess to internet,smart phones, orcomputers, and thisis the primary waycommunication isbeing relayed,providing thesefamilies with papercopies of theseefforts could be asimple solution tothe problem. CommunicationStylesCommunicationstyles couldnegatively impactour program whenwe expect familiesto communicatethe same way wedo. For example, ifa quiet andreserved family isconstantly beingcommunicated in aloud and outgoingmanner, makingthemuncomfortable, itcould potentiallycause them toavoid interactions,conversations, andcommunication inthe programaltogether whichwould be a failureof the program toeffectively buildconnections withthese families. This should be addressedso within our programwe take effectivecommunication methodswith all types of familiesseriously. We need to becautious whencommunicating with allfamilies so that we canallow ourselves to beaware of thecommunication stylesunique to each personand each family,including ourselves aseducators. Responsive solutionsto thiscommunicationbarrier is really justadjusting ourapproach to supportthe communicationneeds of others inour care. This meanswe need to maintainour importance ofcommunicating withfamilies in our role aseducators and beaware andconscience of non-verbal cues thatmake familiesuncomfortable inconversations. Forexample, if a parentis not making eyecontact with you dueto your approach incommunicating this isa cue that you shouldbe communicatingdifferently with thisfamily.4Personal FeelingsPersonal feelingscan negativelyimpact the ECEprogram when youare not able toseparate yourpersonal feelingsof families fromprofessionalconversations. Forexample, if you arecommunicatingwith a family whois constantlypicking up theirchildren late andfrustrating you,you may relaythese frustrationsto the family, andcould causetensions andnegativity beingrelayed incommunicating. This should be addressedbecause as educators andpart of an ECE program itis essential that wemaintain professionalismdespite personal feelingswe may have. It is of theutmost importance thatwe put our obligation aseducators beforepersonal feelings wepursue with families andparents of children in ourcare. Self-reflection andprofessionalism arethe key toovercoming thiscommunicationbarrier. We need toreally reflect on pastexperiences,individual feelings,and perspectives thatshape who we areand how we interactwith others. Once weovercome personalfeelings, we can thanshape thecommunicationmethods we used inorder to effectivelycommunicate withparents and families.5ReferencesMoss, J., 2020. Barriers And Solutions To Effective Communication. [online] Learning.rasmussen.edu. Available at: <https://learning.rasmussen.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_69317_1&content_id=_6255167_1> [Accessed 19 July