Reviewed Content on May 15, 2024
Unknowingly, Child Support Services (CSS) has been using the Science of HOPE in our practices all along. The “HOPE is All Around Us” article series is part of an effort to connect what we already do in our work that propagates and nurtures the Science of HOPE.
We know that communication, the way we are perceived by others, and how we perceive others can have a substantial impact on HOPE. Our own HOPE, and the people we communicate with, whether it is a coworker or a customer. Words have different meanings to each individual (think of a chair… Is it an armchair, a dining table chair, a folding chair, etc), although we all have general agreement on what our words mean (eg, a chair is something we usually use to sit on [although in my house its for laundry that needs folding!]).
The words we use or do not use and how we perceive others in communication can potentially nurture HOPE or it could rob HOPE. Our communication has the power to encourage and lift people up by inspiring them to pursue goals, providing pathways, or restoring their willpower bank. When talking with customers, the word choices we make and how we deliver our thoughts can have these effects. On the other hand, our communication has the power to rob HOPE, discourage, reinforce negative stereotypes, and miss our opportunity to nurture their HOPE.
How can we be communicators of positivity and HOPE? CSQuest articles have some suggestions.
For example, one method of communicating to consider is body language. It has been said that body language is more than 90 percent of our communication with words and tone of voice making up the rest. The CS Quest article, Body Language, Vocal Patterns and Word Choice in Interviews or Conferences, you can find suggestions on how to use your body language to help emote your intent, empathy, and compassion in a way that could curb the perception of difficult information you are delivering. Likewise, it can help us better perceive the communication of others and prevent us from misunderstanding someone. This can be useful not only in our professional life, put in our personal life, too.
Handling Questions and Your Answers Effectively provides excellent pathways for how to navigate difficult questions. Difficult situations are the best opportunities to try and nurture HOPE, or simply avoid robbing someone’s HOPE when they are facing an obstacle.
When interviewing the non-custodial parent (NCP), you might need a list of questions you can ask. These are in the CS Quest article, Interviewing NCP’s directly and Third Party Interviews. There are different types of questions covering income, and questions to ask of employers and relatives. You can also reference Interviewing CPs for a similar article tailored to custodians (CPs). Keep in mind alternate pathways you may be able to provide for issues CSS cannot assist with. This article has curated a list of links and resources that could be helpful to you or the customer, Hope is All Around Us – CSS Resources.
Since the move to teleworking, miscommunication and misunderstandings happen much more frequently, because we do not have the ability to use alternate forms of communication like body language to provide context to someone’s or our own words. Now that phone and Teams calls are used rather than in-person interviews and conversations, we have to be hyper-aware of that fact when communicating. One of the things you heard from the PFRs in Academy is that you can hear a smile. It may sound silly, but its true, try it for yourself and leave a voicemail to yourself. The CS Quest article Telephonic Communications has scenarios for answering questions, recommendations for outgoing messages, leaving messages on voicemail, getting people to slow down if you need them to, and talking with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Email, Teams chat messages, and iPhone texts have also become a primary tool for communication. There are recommendations in the Electronic Communication group of Quest articles. A sample of articles in this group include Add your Profile Picture to Outlook, and recommendations for writing emails in Using Email. No matter the method of communication, when proofreading, consider these questions, “Is there any way my words could better nurture HOPE?” and “Is there any way my words could be misperceived or rob someone’s HOPE?”
Sometimes we must write business letters, even though these are not frequently written. Nonetheless, there is a format for a business letter, and you can see what is involved in the CS Quest article Writing Letters. Business letters are more formal and contain language that is more formal and remote. Personal notes, like birthday cards, Thinking About You notes, or personal letters to your great-aunt or grandmother are very different from business letters. Its always helpful to use the ALC document Freeform Letter (G03) as a template.
You might be interested in the Teleworking Tip 6 Keys to Positive Communication. Teleworking Tips are linked in CS Quest and when you click on the link to the article you will automatically be taken to the short article. The 6 keys are easy to do, and the article has suggestions to practice positive communication that can nurture HOPE.
Occasionally, we encounter an angry or upset customer, co-worker, friend of family member. What can we do to get back to peace and calm? The CS Quest article Closing the Conversation: Scripts for Terminating Customer Interactions in Person or on the Phone has good advice on how to maintain your calm and cool, how to disengage from the interaction, and what to do if the interaction becomes abusive.
Communication is primary pathway for spreading and nurturing the Science of HOPE. Remember HOPE is a social gift and we connect with others and in that connection. We have the opportunity, the responsibility, to attempt to assist customers, friends, and family in setting goals, assisting with pathways to achieving goals, and helping them feel motivated and maintain their willpower. We also want that for ourselves from others. Talking it through, chatting about the future, and making plans that can become a reality are accomplished through the varied methods of communication we have available to us.
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