Watching the video about the "flow" of a conversation made me think about how important it is to prepare for admissions conversations. I create a document for each candidate with basic info on their previous academic experience, what their academic and personal references said, their essay scores, and a link to the essay so I can review it and have it fresh in my mind. The doc also contains the core questions I usually ask. By reviewing this info before the interview starts, I can have a picture of the candidate in mind and think in advance about what additional… >>>

How important the four key competencies are now more than ever.  When onboarding new staff, they need to be a balanced part of the training program -it's not just about the facts.

I love the shift from below the line (From the asker's perspective) to above the line (from the receiver's perspective) I think this will help add value for the student. Additionally, the blend of open and close ended questions, when used proportionally help move the conversation forward. 

This first module showed me why I was feeling some tension during admissions interviews. Our questions are good ones, but not all the applicants are comfortable with them. Those who are comfortable do really well, while others flounder, and I'm now realizing this is not necessarily because they are not a good fit for the program. 

It makes perfect sense that we need to find more questions that will help students open up and express themselves. I plan to keep most of the questions we are using, but not to be as strict about using the same ones in the… >>>

I learned how to anticipate obstacles ahead of time. As well as the 3 F's - Feel, Felt, Found. 

I learned that overly complex or multiple questionscan sometimes lead to incomplete responses or confusion within students and leads. It is more effective to limit the number of questions and be intentional with allowing for adequate and thoughtful response times to avoid fatigue or overwhelm. 

I learned how to effectively ask questions to gain further clarification without seeming confrontational. Asking leading questions to better understand potential constraints, limitations, or specific decisions made like - scheduling conflicts, program interest, declining a start date, etc. 

I feel confident in guiding students to learn more about their goals, life situation, and navigating selecting a program that is aligned. 

I learned the importance of curiosity in this field. Notice lapses of quiet, vague responses, redirecting answers to avoid specific topics, etc and to pause and inquire further to fully understand a student's situation. Each student is unique. 

Sustaining deep listening as a Coordinator requires thoughtful attention to detail and being self aware. The more you note moments of lapses in attention, ineffective communication moments, patterns/habits, etc and make adjustments, the more you will grow as a listener and communicator to be more helpful to students and prospective leads.