Element One: Communicating Effectively
Element One: Communicating Effectively
The content of the supervisory course series was developed with the help of experienced First-Line Supervisors and, in some cases, their supervisors. Assisted Living and other Community-Based setting supervisors were interviewed from different areas of the state.
Click on button to hear course introduction
Course Note
This course is part of a larger training program designed to help supervisors develop key leadership skills. You can take the courses in any order. However, they build on foundational concepts, especially those from the first course on “Management Basics.” It’s recommended to complete all four courses to gain a comprehensive understanding of your role as a supervisor. The other two courses on Employee Morale and Prevention of Abuse and Neglect will be released in late September 2024.
Welcome! This course is designed for First-Line Supervisors in community care settings. Your role as a supervisor has a major impact on the culture and quality of care in your workplace. This course will guide you through the key principles of effective communication and proactive management, which are essential for creating a positive and efficient work environment.
What will the First-Line Supervisor learn in Element One?
This course focuses on developing essential communication skills for First-Line supervisors. It highlights proactive strategies to enhance interactions with various stakeholders, including individuals supported, families, co-workers, supervisors, and regulators. Participants will gain insights into building relationships, setting communication boundaries, and effectively managing challenging conversations.
You’ll learn to:
- Identify and engage with key stakeholders effectively.
- Develop and implement proactive communication strategies to manage time and improve team collaboration.
- Establish yourself as the central communication hub in your setting to reduce misunderstandings and improve decision-making.
Why is this important?
Effective communication isn’t just a tool for managing tasks—it is a powerful leadership skill. As a supervisor, you will need to communicate regularly with a range of stakeholders, each with their own interests and concerns. This element will equip you with the skills to handle these interactions in ways that build trust, reduce misunderstandings, and ultimately create a more cohesive work environment.
DEEPER DIVE– Communication is a proactive management strategy
All First-Line Supervisors must communicate with many stakeholders consisting of people who are interested in your care setting. Understanding effective communication strategies is needed to enhance care and reduce time demands.
A First-Line Supervisor should know with whom to communicate, when to communicate, and, of course, how to communicate with each stakeholder in your setting. An effective communicator is generally an effective supervisor whose primary responsibility is to process, provide, and interpret information about your setting to staff and others. Learning these strategies will also reduce stress and improve your ability to manage staff.
Common Stakeholders
- People supported in your setting
- Family, friends, guardians of people supported
- Staff under your supervision
- Your supervisor and others in the organization, i.e., human resource staff
- Clinicians
- Licensing personnel
- Office of Recipient Rights Advisors
- Adult protective services
- Training personnel, internal and external
- Neighbors
- First responders
- Landlords
- Maintenance staff
- Medical and pharmacy staff
- Probation/court personnel
Definition- stakeholder (noun)
a person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business.
denoting a type of organization or system in which all the members or participants are seen as having an interest in its success.
All Assisted Living and other Community-Based settings have different communication procedures and traditions. Be sure to discuss the stakeholders with whom your supervisor would like you to communicate regularly. The information shared must also be consistent with releases on file for the person supported.
There are different forms of communication:
- Body language: smile, nodding, eye-role, yawn.
- Verbal: face to face communication, phone calls, and voice mail messages.
- Written: text, emails, letters, and reports.
We constantly communicate. Often, we communicate without thinking. Think about what you communicate. Understanding how you (and others) communicate is the first step to communicating more effectively.
Effective communication is a proactive management strategy.
As a busy First-Line Supervisor, time is always in short supply. The key to time management is, to a large degree, communication management. This means that you can either plan communication, which is the most efficient strategy, or you can be controlled and at times overwhelmed by unplanned communications.
Time-saving examples:
- Planning Ahead with Staff: Helping staff plan shifts in advance to reduce the need to speak about what happened after the fact.
- Regular Communication with Families/Guardians: Schedule routine updates to build relationships and avoid last-minute concerns.
- Keeping Your Team Informed: Ensure all staff are consistently updated on key issues to minimize questions and confusion.
- When to Contact Your Supervisor: Knowing when to communicate with your supervisor to reduce the number of topics and complexity of issues needing to be addressed.
- When to Contact Regulators: Knowing when to communicate with regulators and other authorities to foster relationships of trust can reduce the need for investigations and other adverse outcomes for your setting.
Planning your communication efforts saves time and fosters a smoother workflow.
“Much research shows that managers believe they communicate well and communicate often with their employees, while their employees rate the same managers significantly lower in terms of communication quality and quantity.”
(Bell, 1996)
DEEPER DIVE– Your Role as the Communication Hub
As a First-Line Supervisor, you are the central point of communication in your setting. The term “hub” reflects the fact that most, if not all, significant communications should flow through you. When you assume this role, you reduce the number of complaints, misunderstandings, and unnecessary explanations.
Why be the Hub?
• It allows you to influence key decisions affecting your setting.
• You become a trusted source of information for staff, families, and regulators.
• You gain a clearer understanding of the day-to-day operations and challenges, which helps in managing the team more effectively.
What have we covered in Element One?
- Some examples of key stakeholders with whom a First-Line Supervisor needs to be able to communicate effectively.
- Proactive communication strategies to help manage time and improve team cohesion.
- Establishing yourself as the central communication hub in your setting to reduce misunderstandings and improve decision-making.
Next Up–Element Two, “Improving Communication Skills” In the next element, you will delve deeper into improving your communication skills by exploring techniques to actively enhance your interactions.
You’ve finished Element One, Congratulations!
