How to communicate with your family during shelter at home
With the state of Indiana extending its Shelter At Home, or “Hunker Down Hoosiers” initiative as Governor Holcomb calls it, families are learning how to work, learn and live together in a way that hasn’t been required before. Navigating the new normal can be really difficult if you don’t make an effort to communicate effectively with your family. Lisa Mitchell, Communications Expert & Founder of Power Body Language breaks down how to better manage life in this new normal.
1. Recognize that it’s not “business as usual” for those working and learning from home for the first time
Life looks different now than it did even just a few weeks ago. There are big adjustments being made by the adults and kids alike and it’s important to acknowledge those changes and talk openly about the feelings and challenges that all of this rapid change has brought with it. You can’t expect old routines to be maintained when the rhythm of life for everyone in your home has drastically changed. Set your expectations
to include a period of adjustment and a lot of patience as everyone in your house sorts out their feeling and their new schedules.
2. Work Together To Establish New Schedules, Expectations, and Responsibilities
When families experience a lot of change in a short period of time, it can make things feel really out of control and even scary. Don’t ignore those feelings. Call a family meeting to discuss how things can best work under the “new normal” and gather feedback and suggestions from everyone in the house, no matter their age. A plan that is created as a collaborative effort is much more likely to be bought into by everyone in the home because it lessens the risk of anyone feeling unheard or acted upon or forced into the new plan.
3. Respect each other’s space, pace, and communication style
Just like you deal with a variety of personalities and preferences at the office or in school, you’re dealing with those same challenges in your home with everyone is living, working, and learning under the same roof at the same time. Giving family members a little autonomy and control over their physical space and schedule can go a long way towards making everyone comfortable and a lot less cranky.
Maybe you work together to rearrange an office space that everyone feels comfortable in or create a learning corner in a kid’s bedroom. Maybe you set up “house rules” for entering the office during a class Zoom call or while on a work conference call. Having clear communication about how your work and learning day runs and what expectations you have of each other can save a lot of stress and conflict in your home.
Good communication helps to create a productive and peaceful environment for working and learning together at home and can make the transition to the “new normal” a lot smoother for everyone involved.
For more from Lisa, visit powerbodylanguage.com or connect on Instagram at @lisamitchellindy