Communication and Interpersonal Relationships

Editor's Notes

• #4: True or false: Teachers have to be strict. Otherwise, their students won’t respect them. The answer is false. In order to ensure a positive learning experience for your apprentice, you should perform your role as a facilitator of learning rather than an authoritative figure.
• #5: What are some of the differences between a traditional teacher and a facilitator? A traditional teacher sees himself as the ultimate authority on the subject matter. The facilitator sees himself as having the knowledge the learner needs but guiding the learners toward self-discovery of the information. A traditional teacher treats the learner like a blank slate waiting to be filled with knowledge, while a facilitator takes into account the experiences and knowledge that adults bring to the session. A traditional teacher is punitive in nature; she uses grades to encourage or discourage behavior in learners. On the other hand, a facilitator is flexible and adjusts expectations when necessary to facilitate the achievement of competencies. A traditional teacher demands one-way respect from the learner, while the facilitator fosters mutual respect between self and the learner.
• #6: A positive relationship is the foundation of a successful learning experience. So you should make an effort to establish a relationship that is conducive to a positive learning environment. While there are many factors that go into a successful relationship, we are going to focus on three main ones: trust, communication, and conflict management.
• #7: How to build trust: Be supportive rather than judgmental when they give their opinion. View them as a valuable addition to your work. Don't treat them as a burden or additional work. Say "I don't know, but I'll find out" when they ask something that you don't know the answer to. Then find out or at least report on your effort to find out.
• #8: How to communicate well Communicate often, even if it’s just to say hello. Listen often. Listen first, respond second. Pay attention to your body language.
• #9: How to manage conflict effectively Avoid making assumptions. Ask questions. Even if you disagree, try to see the problem from their point of view. Handle your own frustrations professionally. Revisit initial goals and expectations. Adjust if necessary. Keep communicating! Almost every conflict is related to communication.
• #10: Remember that adults are goal-oriented and learn better when they can find relevancy in what they’re learning? It is important to put work to the side briefly and spend time focusing on setting goals. Both preceptor and apprentice: Write down the most important goal and 2-3 secondary goals Share expectations of each other and of the experience List skills, experience, and positive characteristics brought to the learning environment List any concerns, specific issues, or even fears about the upcoming learning process Keep this information handy! Use it to make sure you are being sensitive to the learner’s initial concerns and refer to it when you need to indicate how a specific learning objective is designed to help them reach their goals.
• #11: From time to time, check in with your apprentice by revisiting goals (for both of you), describing upcoming learning topics, and helping them see how their work is paying off.
• #12: Another contributing factor to a successful relationship is cultural competence. CC is the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.
• #13: Where do you see yourself on this continuum of cultural competence? Would you say you’re fairly culturally competent and place yourself on the far right, or would you place yourself in the middle and say that you have some improvements to make? Pay attention to the descriptions and their positions on the continuum. “My culture is better than other cultures.” “There is only one right way to do things, and its my culture’s way.” “I see all people the same, and I think everyone should be treated equally.” “I recognize different cultures and seek to learn about them.” “I accept, appreciate, and accommodate cultural differences. I understand the effect my own culture has in relating to others.” Where do you see yourself now? Would your position on the continuum change based on the descriptions? Remember that the definition of cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. In order to do that,
• #14: When we exercise cultural competence, we acknowledge cultural differences, engage in self-assessment of our treatment of others, and view others’ behavior within a cultural context
• #15: Emotional intelligence is an important and common quality found in people who are successful at maintaining relationships. It is defined as managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly toward their common goals. Imagine looking across the room through two cups, one with clear water and one with muddy water. It’s hard to see the other side of the room through the muddy cup. In this analogy, the other side of the room represents your decision-making abilities, and the muddy water cup represents your emotions. Emotions can fog up our decision-making abilities, so it is important to be aware of when this is happening.
• #16: EI doesn’t just come into play when someone is being emotional or in the process of expressing their emotions. It underlies many of our basic interactions with others. (slide content) It starts with Self-awareness of your emotions and how they affect others, followed by Self-regulation of those emotions. This not mean suppressing those emotions – it means identifying them and not letting them cloud your judgment. Emotional intelligence also includes understanding the emotional makeup of other people and your ability to navigate those emotions in interactions with others. This ability to understand and empathize is one of the key factors in creating and maintaining relationships.
• #17: Let’s get practical and discuss what emotional intelligence looks like in a preceptor/apprentice relationship. Avoid silver-lining thinking, like “Look at the bright side. At least you didn’t …” Instead, try acknowledging that a situation is not ideal and then discussing any associated concerns or fears. Avoid making comparisons in the way your apprentice handles things. (“Why is he upset? That’s not a big deal.”) Instead, try looking at the situation from his point of view, remembering that what doesn’t offend you could still offend others, and then Acknowledging that a situation is not ideal and then discussing any associated concerns or fears Avoid Making it all about yourself and launching into a detailed story. Instead, try Briefly describing a related situation and then acknowledging that a situation is not ideal and then discussing any associated concerns or fears Notice that every interaction involves supporting the apprentice by addressing and OKAYing the feelings.
• #18: Speaking of emotions, it is important to take time to prepare for how this learning experience will affect you, the preceptor. Burnout, unfortunately, exists among preceptors in the health care industry. It is the loss of motivation to continue doing something, especially when one’s efforts fail to produce the desired results, and it looks like: mental and physical exhaustion, a cynical attitude and depersonalization of others, and a decreased sense of duty toward the job.
• #19: environmental factors (lack of support from coworkers or management) personality factors (easily triggered, etc.)
• #20: How to bounce back from burnout? Your ability to bounce back depends on your personal resiliency. There are going to be days when you are more stressed; that is going to be the case at any job. Being able to self-assess your emotions – remember that key factor in emotional intelligence – will help you to distinguish being tired after one busy day from being completely burned-out. Ask yourself if you are experiencing the three signs of burnout -- mental and physical exhaustion, a cynical attitude and depersonalization of others, and a decreased sense of duty toward the job. If you feel that you are experiencing burnout, time to fuel the fire.