Transcript Slide 1
WHAT STUDENTS
REALLY
WANT FROM ONE:ONE MEETINGS
Krystle Cobian University of Puget Sound
Motivation
Goal Setting
Advice
Feedback
Phonebooks? Yes. Phonebooks.
The Boss
Session Overview
• • • • • Why One:Ones matter Objective of Study Methods and Results Implications of Findings Concrete Ways to Have Better One:Ones Image provided by http://www.andymeneely.com/blog/tag/research/
Why One:Ones Matter
• • • Fundamental to student staff effectiveness, job satisfaction, and growth Our work is often one:one o
“Our work is inefficient by nature. Most of the great work we do in student affairs happens on a one:one level.” ~Mike Segawa, VP of Student Affairs
One:one meetings consume a significant amount of time during workweek
Why One:Ones Matter
Objective
Document how student staff members experience one:one meetings and identify ways in which Residence Life staff can contribute to their developmental process
Strategies
1. Logistics
• How long, how often, how much talking vs. listening
2. What they wanted from their supervisor
• Behaviors, characteristics
3. What they talked about
• What they discuss vs. what they want to discuss • Topics brought up in one:ones • Chickering’s 7 Vectors
Method
= 117
Method
• Focus Group • Provided more insight and helped explain numerical data
Limitations to Study
• • • • • Number of participants Demographics and representation – Ethnicity – Institution type Survey Instrument Time period when instrument was taken Lack of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) scores from students
Results
What Students Want from Supervisor
7 2 5 1 4 3 8 6
Displays Empathy Gives Advice Displays Sense of Humor Demonstrates Listening Motivates Gives Feedback Inspires Holds student staff member accountable
What Students Talk About
Actual Time Spent vs. Ideal Time Spent Categories
• School • Role-related business • Staff team dynamics • Stressful stories • Positive stories • Academic and professional goals • Other
C
CLICKERS
Let’s start with a test question…
Why did you decide to attend NWACUHO’s Conference this year?
A) Professional development
56%
B) Opportunity to network with professionals in the region C) Recommended by a colleague
1 15% 2 5% 3 4
What topic were seniors more likely to discuss compared to juniors and sophomores?
A) Academics B) Understanding Identity C) Decision-making D) Career Plans
71% 19% 1 5% 2 5% 3 4
What topic do all student staff members discuss the least in one:ones?
A) Interpersonal Skills B) Ethical Dilemmas C) Recognizing Emotions D) Managing Emotions E) Personal Values
21% 33% 16% 28% 2% 1 2 3 4 5
Statistically Significant Results • • • • Career Plans – 47% sophomores, 81% juniors, 100% seniors Ethical Dilemmas are rarely discussed – 34% of all staff Understanding Identity – Year in college vs. status in Res Life • New, Returner, or Returner in a new role Extreme differences by institutional type – Ideal frequency – Hobbies – Personal Interests
On average, males prefer their one:ones to be ___ minutes compared to ___ minutes for females
49%
A) 23:44 B) 34:52 C) 38:36 D) 45:39
37% 1 2 5% 10% 3 4
What percent of students who submit weekly reports found them to be either helpful or extremely helpful? A) 20% B) 30% C) 40% D) 50%
37% 33% 16% 14% 1 2 3 4
What student staff type discussed decision-making the most in one:ones?
A) New staff
67%
B) Returning staff C) Returning staff who came back in a new role
24% 10% 1 2 3
Practically Significant Results • • • Gender differences. Sort of.
– Ideal Times: Females- 35.5 minutes, Males- 38 minutes – Ideal Conversation Ratio: Females- 57%, Males- 54% Weekly Reports are helpful Decision-Making – Discussed more overall by staff returning in a new role – 56.9% new, 74.3% returners, 80% returners in a new role
Some of the Focus Group Questions… 1.
What was your first impression when you heard about having one:ones as a new staff member? 2. What are the benefits of your one:ones with your supervisor?
3. How have your one:ones changed as you have gotten to know your supervisor?
4. If you were a supervisor, how would you run your one:ones?
First impressions of one:one meetings… “I thought, ‘Ok, my RA position is a job, so this is their way of keeping tabs on what I’m doing.’ It freaked me out a bit at first. I’d say I had a negative reaction.” “I was sort of nervous–you know, the whole authority figure thing. I thought that [one-on-ones] would be the place where I would be chewed out if anything went wrong. I also thought it would be great time to ask questions.”
How one-on-ones have changed over time… “I used up all my time and just blabbed and blabbed about everything. I’m now more comfortable asking straight-forward questions rather than beating around the bush. I also don’t have as many work-related questions because they’ve already been answered earlier in the year.” “It used to be a lot more about business, now it’s more about self-reflection.”
Benefits of one-on-one meetings… “I had lots of questions, so I needed a lot of advice and support on how to deal with situations…Just knowing that you can have an informal conversation about a formal topic is really comfortable.” “It’s a safe space to ask about things you’re uncertain about; you might not ask certain things in a staff meeting because you’re embarrassed. I know personally I’ll talk a lot or ask questions [in a one-on-one] because I don’t want to take up time in a staff meeting to get those questions answered.”
Suggestions from student staff… “In general, it really depends on the student & professional staff member; there’s no one-size-fits-all model for how they should work. It might be helpful for the supervisor and student to talk about how the one:one will be structured.” “One thing that happens a lot is one:ones getting rescheduled. I think it’s important to have a set time and try hard not to reschedule or cancel them. It cheapens the one:one and our relationship if it’s always getting moved around. I really value having one specific time spot each week and knowing that my RD has saved that time for me.”
Consider Stopping the Following…
What they
DON’T
Want
Rescheduling or cancelling one:ones regularly
Why
Devalues the student’s time
Consider Stopping the Following…
Consider Stopping the Following…
What they
DON’T
Want Why
Rescheduling or cancelling one:ones regularly Devalues the student’s time Rigid structure Does not allow time for priority issues student wants to discuss Discussing stressful situations for the majority of the meeting Talking the entire time Long meetings Weekly meetings “At my school, we did it this way…” Feels like venting with no purpose One-way conversation is awkward 82% preferred meetings to be < 40 min 67% preferred bi-weekly meetings Institutional culture matters
Consider Continuing the Following…
What they
STILL
Want
Providing a safe space for staff to ask questions Posing questions regarding identity Actively listening and providing advice Encouraging self-reflection
Why
Students don’t remember everything from training. They’re embarrassed to ask questions in large groups High impact area: something about Res Life leads to an increase in understanding ID Top two behaviors ranked in survey (students do NOT have all the answers!) High impact area based on recent research
Consider Continuing the Following…
Reflection Self Reflect Un-wind Relax Openness Honest Open Up Without Judgment Informal Personal Discussion
Benefits of Spiritual Development
• • • • • Enhances academic performance leadership development intellectual self-esteem psychological well-being satisfaction with college experience “One form of pedagogy that has so far been employed by very few higher education institutions is contemplative practice, such as meditation and self-reflection. Our data suggest that these practices are among the most powerful tools for enhancing spiritual development.” (Astin, et. al. 2011, p. 156-157)
Consider Starting the Following…
What they
REALLY
Want
Encouraging staff to schedule a free hour after their one:one Giving staff a weekly report to fill out before coming to one:one Beginning of year: Explaining what a one:one meeting can look like Scaffolding their learning based on time of year
Why
From focus groups: Allows staff to complete any job-related tasks that were discussed Allows staff to reflect on their week and lets supervisor keep record Helps staff know what to expect and decreases anxiety and ambiguity Helps to meet staff where they are in development and challenge them to grow
Moving Forward
• • • • Create a more legitimate, focused study based on current findings Increase validity, incorporate more institutions One:ones from a student learning outcomes perspective Do findings apply to advising relationships and departments outside of Residence Life?
Conclusion:
Want to Learn More?
y • Existential Leadership Session at NWACUHO!
References
Astin, A. W. , Astin, H.S., & Lindholm, J.A. (2011). Cultivating
the spirit: How college can enhance students inner
lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Chickering, A.W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity. San Francisico: Jossey-Bass.
Thank you!
Questions? Contact Krystle Cobian at [email protected]
Motivation
Goal Setting