Using Communication Skills to Enact Change

I have never been the type of person who is comfortable speaking in front of a crowd; I typically pace back and forth and play with my hair while my heart races and my body overheats.  I have always envied those who appear to have a natural ability to raise their hand and answer questions asked in class and who jump at the chance to share their opinion in front of a group of people, often strangers.  I, on the other hand, am the silent observer amongst a crowd who only speaks out when spoken to directly.  The only exception to this is when I am in the presence of a group of children, only then does my anxiety and hesitation subside and my confidence and persistence rise.

Confidence and persistence are two communication skills that I believe are important for a person to embody when seeking policy change.  They must have confidence in their knowledge of the topic they are speaking about and persistence to present this knowledge to any audience and despite any resistance.  In order to improve on these skills myself, I feel that preparation is key.  Just as I research the current theme of my classroom’s curriculum to plan activities for each day, I must research current issues to confidently understand the reasons why they need to change.  And just as I plan a variety of activities to present the information related to each theme, I must deliver the facts surrounding each policy issue in a persistent manner to everyone it impacts.

I hope my own skills of being confident and persistent when speaking in front of a crowd (and not just one of children) continues to grow as I further my career as a professional in the early childhood field.  How confident and persistent are you when communicating with others in a public setting?

Social Media's Influence on Policy Issues

When thinking about the many social mediums that are available to the public today, early childhood professionals must be cautious when choosing a media to use to broadcast their policy issues.  Many social mediums require a person to create an account, including a username and password, as well as to provide some personal information.  This fact often deters a person from using a particular social medium, which in turn could limit the number of people that early childhood professionals can reach.  For this reason, I would choose blogging and YouTube as the social media tools to communicate my policy issue, as both are free to the public to view.

Changing the ways in which school districts contract with outside agencies to provide special education services to preschool age children is a sensitive issue to both parents and early childhood professionals.  However, their personal experiences with the special education process are invaluable and could be shared on a blog or on YouTube in the form of written or videotaped interviews.  A parent’s journey from referring their child to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) to the moment their child begins to receive services could be documented and followed by each visitor to the website.  The visitors, or audience, of both social media could include children, parents, educators, and policymakers.

Through a blog and YouTube, a child (with parental supervision) could learn about the various special education services from other children through stories, pictures, or videos.  Parents can share experiences, provide advice to one another, as well as ask questions and offer answers in the comments section found on each website.  Educators and policymakers would benefit from reading both the child and the parent perspectives of the preschool special education process, as they could become more aware of what is currently working and what may need to be modified in the future.

Blogging and YouTube are two social mediums that can reach a significant number of children, parents, professionals, and policymakers in the early childhood field today.  Both websites are free to use for the public and can be viewed on computers, as well as any handheld device.  The only drawback to both websites, as with any website, is determining the most effective method of inviting the public to view them.  How do you find the websites that interest you?  Is it through email?  A link found on a website you frequent?  Or do you find websites in print, like in newspapers or pamphlets?