Effective Communication Skills for Early Childhood Educators

¶ … Effective Communication Skills for Early Childhood Educators

In any organizational setting, there is an overarching need for effective communication, making the need for effective communication skills an important asset in virtually any workplace setting. Consequently, some practitioners maintain that effective communication skills are the most essential skill for early childhood educators as well. To determine the accuracy of this assertion, this paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning the importance of effective communication skills for early childhood educators, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Because all organizations are comprised of people, the need for effective communication skills is clear but this need is even more acute for early childhood educators. In her text, Leadership in Early Childhood, Rodd (2006, p. 70) reports that, "Effective communication skills are the tools that underpin the ability to act in an emotionally intelligent and competent manner." The concept of emotional intelligence relates to the ability of early childhood educators to ask appropriate questions, listen effectively and respond in meaningful ways (Rodd 2006). For early childhood educators, then, the importance of possessing effective communication skills involves successfully engaging others, irrespective of their age and abilities, in meaningful and timely ways (Storch & Whitehurst 2002). For young learners, oral communication skills appear to be especially salient in promoting improved academic outcomes, with the type of learning environment that is provided being operative (Kaufman & Ring 2011). For instance, Aldridge (2005, p. 177) reports that, "Oral language is crucial to a child's literacy development, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. While the culture of the child influences the patterns of language, the school environment can enable children to refine its use." The importance of effective communication skills also relates to the need to fine-tune curricular offerings and oral discourse according to the unique needs of the young learners involved (Beck & McKeown, 2001. In this regard, Aldridge (2005, p. 178) adds that, "As children enter school, they bring diverse levels of language acquisition to the learning process. Therefore, teachers face the challenge of meeting the individual needs of each language learner, as well as discerning which methods work most effectively in enhancing language development." Likewise, Wilson (2003) emphasizes the need for individualized communication educational offerings in early childhood settings. According to Wilson (2003, p. 70), "Children with speech/language disabilities should be identified as early as possible and receive appropriate intervention services while they are still quite young, as it is unlikely that individuals are apt to fulfill their potential unless efforts to maximize their communication skills are taken."

As with any organization, the extent to which these attributes are aligned with organizational goals will likely be the extent to which the enterprise is successful. This assertion is supported by the observation by Rodd (2006, p. 70) that, "The collective capacity of early childhood settings to achieve their goals successfully depends on having an emotionally intelligent leader who in turn nurtures and values emotional intelligence of staff, thereby enhancing the capacity to work in emotionally intelligent ways." In fact, according to Curtis and O'Hagan (2003), the importance of effective communication skills for early childhood educators is readily apparent, with the need for such skills extended to all of the stakeholders that are involved in the administration of an early childhood resource. For instance, Curtis and O'Hagan (2003, p. 130) report that, "Managing an early years setting requires effective communication skills with parents, children and staff. It also necessitates communicating with a variety of outside agencies such as social services, psychologists, play therapists, health visitors, doctors, social workers, medical consultants and the police, to name but a few."

Indeed, while effective communication skills are an important asset in any organizational setting, the need for such skills in especially pronounced in early childhood settings. In this regard, Curtis and O'Hagan (2003, p. 130) add that, "It is rare that any non-early years manager is likely to have to liaise with so many different professionals in the day-to-day management of a company / department/section." Likewise, it is important that early childhood educators develop specific communication skills that allow them to meet the needs of others as well as communicating their own needs in the workplace (Rodd, 2006). In general, these types of communication skills can be grouped into the categories shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Types of Effective Communication Skills Needed by Early Childhood Educators

Skills for meeting others' needs

Skills for meeting personal and professional needs

Sending accurate and unambiguous messages

Appropriate self assertion

Overcoming physical and psychological barriers

"I" messages for 'owning' statements

Listening for understanding

Conflict resolution

Appropriate responding

Delegation

Managing feelings

Time management and stress management

Source: Adapted from Rodd 2060, p. 71

An example of how these communication processes operate from the perspective of young people is illustrated by the need for early childhood educators to "get on the same level" by overcoming physical and psychological barriers with their young learners. New early childhood educators, for instance, may fail to effectively connect with their pupils if they remain standing while the class is sitting on mats, making them appear much larger than they are in reality. By sitting down with young people and minimizing the physical size differential, though, parents and early childhood educators alike can help create an environment in which young people become more responsive to what others have to say and learn more from the experience as a result (McCarthy, Sundby, Merdalet & Luxenberg, 1999). Finally, it is important for early childhood educators to develop cross-cultural knowledge and self-awareness in increasingly diverse classroom settings (Harms, 2007).