Listen People!

An instructional coach's time communicating often is relayed through emails and the brief encounters in the hallway.  By continuing with the 7 principles of the partnership approach to coaching, communication should be more than just a brief encounter.  With these 7 principles in place the instructional coach and teacher have the opportunity to truly communicate with one another about their values, needs, goals, and next steps.  

I communicate every day. I listen or read every day.  Via twitter, email, facetime, texts, and occasionally phone calls.  However, my face-to-face communication tends to be less and less in an overly connected world.  With our connected world it is more crucial than ever to practice the art of listening.  After all, the art of listening is one of the cornerstones of a qualified teacher.  

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Chapter 4 of Instructional Coaching outlines 6 aspects of communication: understanding the speaker, employing authentic listening, understanding our audiences, recognizing stores, interpreting nonverbal communication and facial expressions, and building relationships through emotional connection.  Without going into an outline of each, Chapter 4 really is about listening.  We can always refine how we listen.  If listening was not necessary, then why does just about every self-help, coaching, management, and leadership book include a section on the art of listening?

Knight states that over time he has learned that when he listens carefully, the person with whom he’s speaking with almost always becomes a better listener. (Knight, 2007, p. 61)  I cannot agree with this statement more.  I recently tested this with what I would consider a challenging coaching partnership.  Without going into too much of the background details it really boiled down to the fact that both of us were not hearing what the other was saying.  I made a concerted effort that the next face to face conversation we would have that I would make full eye contact, pause and think before I spoke, and ask clarifying questions as needed.  As corny as it sounds it was a magical conversation!  A concept that I had shared with her several times was now a great idea that we collectively developed, planned and prepared for the next steps.  No joke! I attribute the success of this conversation to my body language, eye contact, patient probing questions, and most importantly my efforts to be a better listener. 

How do you communicate effectively as a coach and truly listen to your teachers?