My second week at Lydia Home was much like the first week. Again, I helped the kids with their homework after they had a snack. After the kids finished their homework, they were able to play until it was time to go home. On Thursday, there was something that really stood out to me. I was helping a little boy with his homework and I took him into a separate room away from the whole group. Robert and the boy he was helping were also in this room. The boy I was working with kept getting distracted with the other boy's homework, even though he was supposed to be doing his own. I would try to guide him back to his homework by trying to be patient with him and not have an aggressive tone of voice. Unfortunately, this approach wasn't quite working, but thankfully Robert was able to get him back on track by having a firm tone of voice.
This situation illustrates how power used in language is important for getting points across and how powerless speech mannerisms can cause ineffective communication. By not putting power in my communication and not being firm with the child, I was not able to keep him on task. For example, think of someone that you view as an authoritative figure. Does he or she try to be polite by being hesitant and beating around the bush? Or does he or she confidently state the message that he or she is trying to get across? You would most likely say that he or she does the latter because we see that as more confident and powerful.
In my future interactions with the kids at the Lydia Home (and kids in general), I hope to not use powerless speech mannerisms as much. Along with that, it would be helpful to have a firm tone of voice and, through my communication, come across as more confident and authoritative. These skills will also help immensely when giving presentations or during a job interview.
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