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Line Please?

Line Please? . Communicating Clear Messages to Students. Presentation by Lindsay Fullerton Humanities & Social Science Academic Advisor Venture Program Director Southern Utah University. Rationale. We all get in those situations where we aren’t prepared with the ‘right’ thing to say

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Line Please?

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  1. Line Please? Communicating Clear Messages to Students Presentation by Lindsay Fullerton Humanities & Social Science Academic Advisor Venture Program Director Southern Utah University

  2. Rationale • We all get in those situations where we aren’t prepared with the ‘right’ thing to say • We are ‘paid’ to build a good positive rapport with students • Incoming students are less prepared and trained in social etiquette rules and we have more to teach them

  3. Operating assumptions • Students are capable of learning degree requirements, registration, and other academic process themselves. • Students will be better served and prepared for the future by learning the processes themselves. • Students should be more invested in their success and future than their academic advisor

  4. Meaning of a Message (Psychologist Albert Mehrabian, Interpersonal Communication 3rd Ed.)

  5. Cues to tell if you are building a positive relationship with a student • Immediacy Cues • Proximity: Close, forward lean • Body orientation: Direct, but could be side to side • Eye contact: Mutual • Facial Expression: Smiling • Gestures: Head nods, movement • Posture: Open, arms oriented toward others • Voice: Higher pitch, upward pitch (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, Interpersonal Communication 3rd Ed.)

  6. Advising at SUU • Developmental approach • Advising loads of 500 + students • Group advising at orientation • Mandatory group advising until 30 credits completed • Individual appointments scheduled for 30 minute intervals • Walk in appointments multiple times per week • All advisors now report to one supervisor rather than individual college deans • Advising syllabi – Student learning outcomes and student expectations

  7. Sending the subtle message

  8. Incorporating the subtle message • Carefully worded conversations in the lobby Dates and deadlines Inspiring quote Quote in signature

  9. Perseverance “There’s nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway.” Mark Burnett

  10. Work “Doors don’t slam open.” -John M. Shanahan “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A. Edison

  11. Growing up “Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself.” -Bill Gates

  12. Life “The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.” Robert Fulghum

  13. Education “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle

  14. CollaborationIn groups of 3-5 share your favorite motivational quotes

  15. Resources for great quotes • Smart phone, free app • Brilliant Quotes • Search by top ten authors, authors by last name, topics, keywords & famous • http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/ • Quotes by topic only • http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/character.html • For the sarcastic crowd • http://www.despair.com/viewall.html

  16. Sending the direct message

  17. Explaining the Advising Relationship A – As – AS – aS – S Sacred Heart University Advising Handbook

  18. Using Humor… yes in some ways we are entertainers Changing your major requires a formal process

  19. Language tone • You should know your degree requirements. • Vs. • It is important to be aware of current program requirements. • ‘I’ language vs. ‘You’ Language • ‘I’ language vs. ‘It’ Language Impersonal Communication

  20. Questions I formerly hated getting asked… What is the easiest major? What do I have left to complete to graduate? Can’t you just fill out my graduation paperwork for me? Will you register me for this list of classes? (usually an email request) Can you just put me in the best classes? I can’t get a hold of my advisor, can you just help me?

  21. In groups of 3-5 discuss the following: Collaboration Questions or situations you have a hard time handling and come up with responses together Questions or situations you feel you or someone in your office answers well

  22. Thanking your students for… • trying this on your own • being on time • cancelling in advance • gathering your documents to prepare for this meeting Reinforces the behavior Builds a positive relationship

  23. The questions you should be asking • Do you understand your degree requirements? • Do you understand the basic breakdown of a Bachelor’s Degree? • Have you researched your career field (internship, job shadowing, informational interviewing, etc.)? • How is your semester going? • Why do you think you can handle this (teach them to develop logical academic arguments)? • Where do you think you’re at?

  24. Wrapping up an advising session • I used to…. • Discuss their ‘to do list’ throughout the advising session • Ask if they have any other questions before we wrap up • Recap what they need to do to follow up after the appointment • Now I…. • Discuss their ‘to do list’ throughout the advising session • Ask if they have any other questions before we wrap up • Have the student recap what they need to do to follow up after the appointment • Make any clarifications to their recap that are needed

  25. Sending the difficult message

  26. Being assertive • Get comfortable: • Telling students to put away their cell phone while you are in the appointment • Inviting them to take notes during the advising session – I provide a pad of paper and pens for that purpose • Telling them they will need to prepare better and come back when they are ready for the appointment

  27. Practical Application • Go back to your version of “Advisor Team Meeting” and have a group discussion. Have each advisor submit questions either they have a hard time answering, or those they feel they can answer well and give others suggestions for how to handle the situation • Find a few quotes to begin your whiteboard collection • In a one-on-one setting pull aside an advisor you feel does a great job building positive student relationships. Talk to them about some of the things you say to students and ask them how your tone comes across when you give certain answers/responses. • Check your immediacy by seeing if students are mirroring your behavior

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