I & R Community
Specialist Listen for the Good
I grew up
hearing people say there are three things you are not supposed to talk about…
What are
those three things you might ask? Politics, Religion and Money.
I don’t know who came up with those 3 but I do believe in
2020 people are talking about all of the above and then some. As a young adult
I remember hearing this and wondering why I should avoid such topics. As I grew
older it quickly became apparent as to why these conversations should be
limited to a select few. Everyone has a different opinion regarding politics,
religion and money. These three topics invoke a lot of emotion, they can
encourage as well as destroy relationships.
The list of things you’re not supposed to talk about gets
even longer when you mention gender identity, racism, and defunding the police.
Can’t we all just sit around the fire sing America the Beautiful, roast
marshmallow, eat s’mores and drink hot cocoa? Yes we can, in order to make
America “great again” we need to have positive
respect toward people from all backgrounds and circumstances.
When we are engaged in a good healthy conversation in a safe and
or courageous space good ideas emerge. In our role as Community Resource
Specialist we often get tossed the hot potato of politics, religion and money
over the phone. Section 9 of the AIRS 2020 Manual does an excellent job
defining and describing our role serving diverse communities.
I won’t waste your time paraphrasing the entire section in
this blog. However I couldn’t resist inserting my favorite quote from page 193.
“Awareness of one’s self is the first step to understanding others.
People who are secure in their own identity can act with freedom, flexibility
and openness toward people from different backgrounds…
Knowing this means knowing that you
always have to work at it.”
We are human. We bring ourselves into every call and the tone
in which we respond is regulated by the AIRS Standards. The I &R service
requires us to respond in a professional, nonjudgmental, culturally-appropriate
and timely manner. In my six years of being on the phones with clients I have
had to attentively listen without offering my personal opinion on topics of
politics, religion and money. In fact,
asking a client what is the source of their monthly income can spark an
unwarranted conversation about money. Dare I mention the intake process
requires specialist to ask a client’s race, ethnicity and military status. And
just like that the specialist is knee deep in a conversation about politics and
religion.
Over the last 4 years I have had to govern my conversations
in the office and over the phone by one of my favorite scripters. Colossians
4:6, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may
know how ye ought to answer every man.” Oops I just slipped in the topic of
religion.
As we close out this year, in the midst of a raging pandemic
and plagued by racial divide, I hope you all will join me in my determination
to check myself. I’m walking into 2021
with self –awareness, more compassion for diverse groups and practicing
self-care. Over the phone we don’t take sides but we seek to find value in the
client’s experience.
In I & R we don’t talk in depth about politics, religion
and money. Specialist have to attentively listen when callers need to vent
their frustration. In that moment we have to toss aside our personal opinions
and focus on the need. Often those hard conversations seem to last for an
eternity but it’s in those moments I encourage my staff to listen for the good.
Happy Holiday & Happy New Year!!!
Jamie
Saunders - December 2020 MAK AIRS blog
