Abstract

Northern Tioga Neighbors Network, a New York non-profit group funded by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, is a group of community volunteers committed to responding to their neighbors needs. The NTNN vision clear: to make Northern Tioga County NY an extended family of enriched, empowered and caring neighbors who are able to contribute to the well-being of the community. They offer community services such as educational programs, transportation, and referrals, in a compassionate manner to enhance the quality of life for people living in the Richford and Berkshire communities. Based upon this abstract everyone can use their people skills.

Back to top

Issue

Everyone needs a hand from time to time and everyone is able to lend a hand from time to time, but not everyone may feel comfortable with their people skills. This abstract is about how you can become more comfortable in using your people skills.

Back to top

Action

People not only come in all shapes and sizes, but they have different personality types as well. So how do you find out how best to communicate with someone? Spend time with them! Don't expect to meet someone off the street and talk intimately with them within a minute; understanding and trusting takes time.

Tips

Express your thoughts and feelings clearly: When you volunteer, you may be competing with the barrage of 'noise' and different faces so your message needs to be clear and concise. Take time to plan your communication to ensure that you are expressing the right level of thought in the most receptively simple manner.

Speak up when your needs are not being met: Speaking up to ensure that your needs or the needs of others are met is a fundamental part of any relationship. This can be done by being assertive, not aggressive by rehearsing your behavior prior to the communicating; by repeating your communication (think about different non-demeaning ways of saying the same thing or getting the same point across) and creating a workable compromise.

Ask for feedback from others and give quality feedback in return: Giving and receiving positive feedback is learned. Learn how to give sincere compliments. If you have suggestions for ways volunteers can improve in a certain skill, then suggest practical ways to improve the task, or better yet, show by doing it with them. You have the opportunity to influence how others think and act. Smile and say “Hello” as a way of influencing your mood and others behavior.

Collaborate with others instead of working by yourself: Learn to leverage - allow others to expand your work capacity. Train them to do what you do and you do something else or allow yourself to become trainable.

When you are unproductive, learn how to walk away to regain balance and momentum but this should be your last resort. The whole idea of being people skilled is to bring out the best in others in any situation, rather than their worst.

Back to top

Posted On

Back to top

For More Information

Back to top

Source Documents

Related Practices

Back to top

Related sites

• Login or register to post comments
• 
• Print-friendly page
• Send to friend