Support staff get tips on effective communication techniques
Although Administrative Professionals Day took place on April 22, the appreciation continued on April 29, with HISD’s fourth annual Administrative Support Professionals Summit, which gave employees an opportunity to further enhance their job skills.
HISD employees learn about assertive communication during the fourth annual Administrative Support Professioanls Summit at the Ryan Professional Development Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.
About 250 participants took part in two half-day sessions at the Ryan Professional Development Center to learn about assertive communication.
Jarry Wilson, a senior secretary in Business Development, attended the seminar because she believes there’s always “room for improvement.” Wilson added that she’s attended several other professional development programs and feels she’s a better employee because of the lessons she’s learned along the way.
“You learn so much about yourself,” said Wilson, who added that she constantly checks the eTRAIN system for other professional development opportunities. “You find things that need to be addressed that you might have put on the back burner before. I thoroughly benefited from (the assertive communication seminar). If you go in with the intent to learn, you walk away with principles that you can use and share with others.”
Jordan Jensen leads a discussion about assertive communication during the Administrative Support Professionals Summit.
Since many of these employees are the first point of contact for visitors on campuses or other HISD offices, it made sense to offer a communication-based seminar, said Sandy Henderson, organizational development specialist with Onboarding and Organizational Development.
“It’s vital that when we offer professional development for our employees, it includes practical skills they can use in their everyday jobs,” Henderson said. “Whether an administrative support professional is dealing with a difficult customer or juggling an increasing workload, assertive communication skills are essential to maximizing their effectiveness in their roles.”
The assertive communication seminar was led by Jordan Jensen, a communications expert who covered topics such as increasing your “emotional intelligence,” finding the courage to communicate, and how body language and tone affects communication with another person.
To learn about additional non-instructional staff development opportunities, click here.
