%20(700%20%C3%97%20280px).png){kind=small}
Machines are rapidly surpassing humans in their ability to process information and make decisions, so it might seem like a futile endeavor to seek advice from artificial intelligence on the delicate art of youth work. After all, what could a cold, calculating machine possibly know about fostering meaningful connections with troubled teens?
I wanted to find out, not just find out but see how we compared. Do we share the same opinions? Is there common ground?
So I asked the following question:
What are the four most important skills that a residential youth worker should either have or develop?
Remember that I have already determined what I deemed to be the four skill sets in my webinar "The Big 4 and why they matter."
Check that out if you've not seen it.
Turns out, even a machine can offer valuable insights into the essential skills that make a residential youth worker truly effective.
Who needs my decades of experience and emotional intelligence when you can tap into the vast knowledge of a sentient robot?
Our AI guru has synthesized a list of four must-have skills that will elevate any residential youth worker from mere mortal to superhuman status.
The reason behind this idea was a challenge to my own ideas, after all I claim to be able to enhance the skillset of youth workers. If artificial intelligence can enlighten us as to the skills we need to be better, then surely I have something in the bag that could help you enhance those skills?
Before we get into that let’s look at what artificial intelligence had to say (unedited): After each comment I can add my own personal thoughts and tools.
Skill Number 1.
Empathy and Compassion: Residential youth workers need to be able to connect with young people on an emotional level, understanding their struggles and challenges. They should be able to listen attentively, validate their feelings, and offer support without judgment.
Michael's human reaction:
Here we agree, however the A.I. wasn't asked to explain how we can do this better. This concept is central to everything I teach in the Solutions Toolkit Training. I even gave you a couple of tools to do this within the seminar mentioned above.
Making better connections with my S.M.I.L.E. method.
As part of the Solutions Toolkit we work on a thing I call I call it the ‘Curious Inquisitor’ and I illustrate this as follows. In NLP there’s a well known mantra which is the map is not the territory. This being the case then it fits in very well with one of my ‘8 laws of client interaction’ which states the client is the expert of their own life/problem. If we imagine both of these statements are true then there’s only one way forward, to ask the client to find a solution because they are the one’s holding their own map.
The possible routes out of their problem are fraught with dangers that only they can see, its then our job to be curious and navigate their response. If you’d like to know more then you can listen to the free NLP course on my podcast ’NLP in residential youth work.’ here.
Answer Number 2.
Strong Communication Skills: Both verbal and nonverbal communication are crucial for building rapport with young people and effectively delivering support. Residential youth workers should be able to communicate clearly, concisely, and respectfully, adapting their approach to the individual's needs and understanding.
Michael's human reaction:
Agreed but how? As part of the free course mentioned above we cover communication methods. Although we cover the traditional methods of opening up the door to understanding such as pacing and leading I felt we needed something a bit more natural. Having the aduacity to suggest that I had a better way of working than most body language tutorials I came up with a different idea. It’s designed to strip away any conscious manipulation of the subject and create a path to better communication and trust.
Once ore I can refer you to the webinar and download here. S.M.I.L.E. Webinar PDF
Answer Number 3.
Patience and Resilience: Working with young people often involves dealing with difficult emotions, challenging behaviors, and unpredictable situations. Residential youth workers need to be patient, understanding, and resilient, able to maintain composure under pressure and navigate complex situations effectively.
Michael's human reaction:
Agreed, in my Solutions Toolkit training I talk about the 8 Laws of client interaction. These are laws or assumptions that we can try and adopt with our clients to enable better relationships. One of these laws is “It’s not your problem.” This seems harsh at first but let me explain.
I’ll argue that like a doctor you should be detached from any responsibility for the clients problem. Yes it hurts, yes it’s frustrating, yes we care. However by adopting this as one of the 8 laws we will be able to approach every problem calmly and effectively.
Secondly, also a mantra that I seem to say every single day, that if you are a youth worker then you have the greatest job in the world. If you don’t believe that yet then maybe we haven’t known each other long enough.
Answer Number 4.
Ability to Build Relationships: Residential youth workers play a pivotal role in establishing positive and supportive relationships with young people. They should be able to foster trust, encourage open communication, and create a safe and nurturing environment where young people feel valued and respected.
Michael's human reaction:
In my training I have a mental exercise called a child audit. This has absolutely nothing to do with policies or procedures tick sheets or cleaning regimes. Instead it’s a way to consider a way of calculating how and why we should have faith in our young people, especially those who are most challenging. The child audit was designed to ask some questions about them and provide an honest assessment of their positive states.
If you missed it the download is here. It can be used on any device or it can be printed, feel free to share it with colleagues.
'Research your own experience; absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is essentially your own.'
Bruce Lee
I have to admit I’m impressed with the illusion that artificial intelligence which is exactly what it says 'ARTIFICIAL' created a set of skills that I broadly agree would certainly enhance our work. If I dare be critical I'd suggest it didn't go deep enough.
Feel free to check out my 30 minute webinar to get the full scoop on my BIG 4 in youth work.
I hope that my humble bit of human intelligence and experience was able to create a handful of tools or snippets you can take into your working day.
There’s always lots more information, ideas and resources on my website at www.theactionfactory.com
I'm Michael Dawson and I developed 'The Solutions Toolkit'
It's the first framework developed exclusively for youth work. If you'd like to know more then please check out my website at www.theactionfactory.com or click below to book a chat at a time that's convenient.
Comments