Communicating Effectively in Academic Advising

Presenters: Denée Janda, Megan Perkins, and Debbie O’Neill (University of Colorado-Boulder); Melissa Jenkins (Bentley University) and Jessica Karner (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
55 min - December 10, 2015 (DW65 – Season 10)

In this 55-minute videocast presentation, two teams of NACADA “Best of Region” presentation winners come together to share their insights on important aspects of communication that are essential to quality academic advising. The Region 10 team, Denée Janda, Megan Perkins, and Debbie O'Neill (University of Colorado-Boulder), consider how nonverbal communication influences advisor-advisee interactions, contributing to the quality of the relationship. Their topics include paralanguage, eye contact, chronemics, and proxemics. The Region 1 team, Jessica Karner (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) and Melissa Jenkins (Bentley University), consider some of the issues that come up in communication when working with students in crisis or dealing with a difficult situation. They share theories and activities that can help advisors make the most of their advising interactions. These combined teams discuss how advisors can demonstrate caring to their students by becoming aware of how we communicate with our advisees and provide practical tips for implementing effective communication techniques and strategies.