Competent Communication

About five years ago, I met Kim at a Conscious Discipline Summer Institute in Orlando, Florida.  She was our assigned table leader.  We quickly connected and ever since then, I think of her as a friend and mentor.  Today, she is a Conscious Discipline Master Instructor and a national early childhood trainer/speaker.  To me, Kim demonstrates competent communication as a speaker, mentor, coach, and, most importantly, as a friend.

Not only does Kim actively listen, she does so open-mindedly and without judgement.  During a conversation, she will ask probing questions that tend to be thoughtful, exploratory, and constructive.  During conversations, Kim tends to provide empathetic feedback and uses “I” messages.  She walks me through problem-solving steps and empowers me to take control of situations.  I struggle at times with being assertive versus passive.  Knowing this, Kim helps me walk through scenarios using my assertive voice.  Even though, we may only see each other once a year, I know that she is always a phone call away.

When presenting to an audience (large or small), Kim is amazingly animated, interactive, and passionate.  When she is up front speaking, you feel like she is speaking to just you.  Her knowledge and enthusiasm for early childhood, self-regulation, positive discipline techniques, relationships, and positive learning radiates as she speaks and shares her knowledge and expertise.

In many ways, I idolize Kim.  Knowing her and being able to call her my friend and mentor has been a blessing to me personally and professionally.  As an early childhood specialist and trainer, I study Kim’s techniques of presenting and communicating with other educators.  Her ability to build connections with others while coaching them and teaching them how to develop safe, nurturing relationships and learning environments with children exhibits the skills that I desire to have when working with other educators. Knowing that she worked hard to learn and master these communication skills which seem to be a natural part of her personality inspires me to continually and mindfully practice my personal and professional communication skills on a daily basis.