In education, as in most
dynamic careers, talk moves fast, and conversations between workers can be
numerous. One third of your waking
activities in any given day is occupied in conversation according to an article
in Entrepreneur. “There are only three ways to spend time:
thoughts, conversations and actions. Regardless of the type of business you
own, your work will be composed of those three items.” (Mathews, Debolt &
Percival, 2011)
Since
one third of our waking activity is spent in conversation, the amount of
conversations we have causes us to often say more than we think. Students can translate the things an
instructor says at any given time by paying attention to five specific elements
in any conversation.
Social Metrics can indicate the effect and success
of a message in the virtual cloud, but determining your importance, meaning and
success in real time requires some basic instincts. (Lopez, 2014)
Fortunately, there is a good way to understand
what others really are saying.
1.
Listen to the parts of the message. When writing sentences the subject and the
predicate are the basic parts. Though
conversation doesn’t exactly stick to the rules of written grammar, the subject
and the verb are still critical to any message.
If you know who, or what, then you already know the meat of the message.
(Kline & Air University, (U.S.), 1996)
2.
Pay close attention to modifiers. The adjectives, adverbs and phrases people
attach to the predicate often carry more weight than the actual action to which
they are referring. “Since we won’t be testing until Tuesday next week, we will
be reviewing this on Friday.” The review isn’t nearly as important to the
speaker as why it is being delivered early, and the pending test on Tuesday. Words like since, as a result of, and
according to often indicate a change is on the horizon. As with everything
else, be prepared to be flexible.
3.
Listen for specific details.
If details such as time, date, or person are missing, then the message
should be considered incomplete. Think
about the last passing conversation you had.
A message like, “I will text you,” or “let me get back to you” has an indefinite
time frame attached to it. If you want
specifics, you often must request them. “What
time should stop by your office?” would be more definite than responding with “Great;
talk to you later.”
4.
The words a person uses often indicate a lot about their task
at hand. Someone already burdened with a
difficult task or even too many small tasks may be apt to give short quick
replies to complex questions or inquiries. “Yes, no, and I don’t know,” are
safest when overtaxed. Hearing these
short answers may indicate that your request is hitting at a bad time or in the
wrong context. If you do need
clarification, reschedule your request. (Patterson, Covey & Fields, 2003)
5.
Tone may also alter a message. In working with new people look for rate of
conversation, pitch, and volume. These
attributes often indicate the working status of the person you are talking to. A slow casual rhythm is the best context to
hold a conversation, but with another 28,799 seconds of conversation to attend
to, there is no guarantee your conversation will rank very high.
References
Kline, J. A., & Air University (U.S.). (1996). Listening
effectively. Maxwell Air Force Base, AL: Air
University Press.
Lopez, J. (2014, February 13). Social
Engagement Metrics That Matter - Measuring, Tracking, and Reporting FTW - Moz.
Retrieved from http://moz.com/blog/social-engagement-metrics-that-matter
Mathews, J., Debolt, D., & Percival, D. (2011,
May 2). 10 Time Management Tips That Work |
Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219553
Patterson, K., Covey, S. R., & Fields, A.
(2003). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking
when stakes are high. New York: McGraw-Hill Audio.
