Communication and Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults.

Effective communication is paramount in forming positive relationships.   Consideration should be given to how you approach people and how you respond to them.   People that communicate well with colleagues and visitors to the school, whether they are parents or professionals are more likely to get a positive response from them if they should need to ask for help with anything.   It is important to demonstrate good communication skills to children even in times of stress or excitement a lot of what children learn comes from watching adults around them.   It is no good telling children they should not shout at people or speak in certain ways if that’s what we do.   Children need to know the boundaries and what is acceptable.   Positive relationships do not build themselves they need to be worked at.
If people are comfortable in your company then communication is more likely to be effective.   If people do not get along with you for any reason then the communication may not be good, they may not want to share information with you.   Some people may even go to the extreme of deliberately not involving you in things.  
When trying to build relationships it should help to think about issues that may be personal to other people.   For example if you know that they are concerned about something they may appreciate you showing an interest and offering to listen to their concerns but be sure not to come across as a nosy parker.   They may also be in need of some advice either about work or their personal life.   If somebody does confide in you about anything you should remember to treat it as confidential.   Respect and manners cost nothing and should be used in building relationships with everyone.   Show consideration for other people’s feelings and beliefs.   Take time to consider why the child you are working with is reluctant to settle down to work.   He may have had a bad playtime and need time to reflect on what has happened.   When having discussions it is very important to be...