Family Communication Philosophy

Throughout this semester, my philosophy on how to communicate with professionals and families has been developed. I have learned about the specific components that contribute to positive interactions with both families and other professionals. I believe that trust is the foundation of communication. To establish trust as a professional, there are certain steps and criteria that need to be taken. When meeting with families, the special education teacher must incorporate specific communication skills, “Listen more carefully and responsively, explain your conversational intent and invite consent, express yourself more clearly and completely, translate complaints and criticisms into specific requests, ask creative, open-ended questions, express more appreciate” (Communication PowerPoint). I

Although, there may be conflicts along the way that can hinder a positive working relationship. To reduce conflict and establish positive communication, the special education teacher must analyze their own believes or biases before meeting with a family, “The best strategy to minimize the potential for conflict to occur is to know your own values. The process of cultural reciprocity requires you to examine your own beliefs and practices closely when collaborating with families” (p.g 200) Understanding a family system and characteristics of families is crucial for understanding to be open minded when communicating with families. To prevent communication from breaking down, the special education teacher must understand how communication can break down, “ Communication breaks down when a person doesn’t say what (s)he means, listener misunderstands the message, or a listener does not trust the message” (Communication PowerPoint). It is important to reiterate information to eliminate misunderstanding and to take all steps necessary to establish