Building Trust by Effectively Communicating with Families Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department Jorge Luis Arredondo, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent of FACE

Learners will: Understand the importance of active listening Identify active listening strategies and communication blockers Apply the five dimensions of customer service Learn the steps to effectively communicate with emotional parents Objectives

Activity 3 Form groups of two people (MEMBER A and MEMBER B) Members should follow their instructions without sharing them with their partners Teams have 3 minutes to do the activity

What is Active Listening? Honoring the inherent dignity of all persons by giving them our full attention Hearing what people are saying, not what we think they are saying Listening with an open heart, not judging and not using the time they are speaking to prepare our response 4

Core Listening Skills 5 1. Restating 2. Validation 3. Silence 4. Summarizing 5. Emotion Labeling Effective listening may be the most important skill in communication

Communication Blockers 6 “Why?” questions Use “why” questions cautiously. Their use may make the speaker defensive, and then they will temper their conversation, or shut down. Quick reassurance “Don’t worry about that.” “You’re fine.” Advising “I think the best thing for you is to…” Digging for information Be sensitive to the difference between empathetic questioning and forcing someone to talk about what they are not ready to talk about. Patronizing “You poor thing, I know just how you feel.” Preaching “You should…” “You shouldn’t…” InterruptionsThis shows that you aren’t interested in what someone is saying.

5 Dimensions of Customer Service 1.Reliability 2.Responsiveness 3.To Feel Valued 4.Empathy 5.Competency 7 Source:

Activity 8 Please determine the Dimension(s) of Customer Service that is being violated or used effectively in the scenarios provided.

Understanding “Angry” Parents “These parents want to protect, help, or get a better deal for their children. They are trying to be advocates, but they don’t know how to act constructively” (p. 152). 9 Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K.L., Johnson, V. R. & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: New Press.

Activity Share with the people at your table a situation at your school in which a parent was angry – What was his/her main concern? How was the situation handled? – Was the situation handled correctly? – How could have the situation been handled better? – What can be learned from that experience? 10

Making “Angry” Parents Advocates 1.Recognize that anger comes from a place of caring, and parents have the right to advocate for their children’s education. 2.Set up a proactive collaboration with families to monitor student’s progress, address difficulties, and plan for the future. 3.Inform parents how the school works and clearly explain processes! Frustration arises out of confusion. 11 Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K.L., Johnson, V. R. & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: New Press.

Steps for Success to Effectively Communicate with “Angry” Parents 1.Actively listen to the problem 2.Acknowledge the parent’s concern 3.Determine who can “solve” the issue at hand (clerk, teacher, AP, principal, registrar, etc.) 4.Explain to parents the policy AND procedures to get the issue resolved 12 Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K.L., Johnson, V. R. & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: New Press.

FACE Contact information Phone: Twitter.com/hisdface Web: houstonisd.org/face 13

Thank you