Para eLink: Where Minnesota's Paraprofessionals Learn Online

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K9: Understanding the paraprofessional’s role regarding communication with students, students’ families, and the community that supports learning and well-being for student with Other Health Disabilities.

K10: Understanding the paraprofessional’s role within the educational roles and responsibilities of teachers and support personnel in providing educational services to students with OHD.

S4: Demonstrating the understanding to utilize opportunities for students with OHD to participate, interact, and learn with all students.

Effective Communication Strategies

Picture of a para talking to a student who is using a computer. As you learned in Core Competency Area 7: Communication and Collaborative Partnerships, Unit 7.5, Lesson 6: Positive Communication Strategies, it is very important for a paraprofessional to have an effective working relationship with family members and community members who are interested in and provide supports to students with OHD. A major component of these relationships involves good communication. Good communication involves not only the ability to speak, but also the ability to listen. By practicing effective communication, relationships can be greatly enhanced, which will result in the best possible support for students, their families, and other support networks in the community.

Core Competency 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 6: Positive Communication Strategies identifies some strategies to remember when trying to communicate effectively:

Active listeners make good communicators.
Everyone’s attitudes and feelings must be known, respected, and understood.
An understanding of similarities and differences between team members must be recognized.
Expectations, goals, and communication strategies between educational team members is important for meeting a student’s needs.
Ask for clarification or assistance if you do not understand assignments or tasks.
Share ideas about the special interests, talents, and training that each member brings to the delivery of services and supports.
Work together to create a climate of cooperation, trust, respect, and loyalty.
Silence can block the ability to have cooperative communication.

References

Information for this unit was used with permission from:

Institute on Community Integration. (n.d.). Para eLink Core Competency Area 7.5: Communication and Collaborative Partnerships, Lesson 6. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. Retrieved June 30, 2006, from http://ici2.umn.edu/elink/7s2c/c7s2c_6.html