3 Signature Strategies!

Getting Started with the 3 Signature Strategies!

Click HERE to Print this Overview Document

Highly engaging, effective and purposeful interactions are created using three key

practices in the small moments of our day:

WELCOMING ACTIVITIES • Greeting for Inclusion

ENGAGING PRACTICES • Attentive Listening

OPTIMISTIC CLOSURES • Reflections and Looking Forward

1. WELCOMING ACTIVITIES • Greeting for Inclusion: We all want to be acknowledged and welcomed.

A culture of personal greetings establishes safety and predictability, supports contribution by all voices, set norms for respectful listening, and allows people to connect with one another, creating a sense of belonging. To be effective they must be authentic, warm and accompanied by appropriate eye contact and attentive body language.

Simple Inclusive Greetings:

• Eye contact when culturally appropriate when listening and speaking - not looking at your phone or computer when engaging with another person.

• Smile :)

• Quick greetings using the student's name.

  • Hi ______! Good morning/afternoon ______!

  • How can I help you today?

  • Nice to see you ________!

2. ENGAGING PRACTICES • Attentive Listening: Adults and students want to know that they have been heard and seen every day. Engaging practices such as attentive listening are brain compatible strategies that can foster relationships, cultural humility and responsiveness, empowerment, and collaboration. Attentive listening improves the quality of the thinking/speaking of the person who is talking and allows the listener time to understand the full message of what is being said or implied.

Simple Engaging Practices:

• Nonverbal acknowledgement by head nod, wave, "air" high five.

• Nonverbal cues by not using technology during a social encounter.

• Pausing what you are doing to acknowledge someone else and giving your full intentional attention.

• Asking open ended questions such as

  • What is new with you?

  • How are you doing in/with......?

  • Tell me about.....

3. OPTIMISTIC CLOSURES • Reflections and Looking Forward: This provides positive closure, reinforces the topic, and creates momentum towards taking action. It is a way to show that you want to stay connected with the person.

Simple Optimistic Closures:

• Is there anything else I can help you with?

• See you later!

• Thanks so much.

• Let me think about that.

Use these simple "three things" with your coworkers, students, and people you see in the neighborhood. When you read these, you may think it is silly, but watch others around you and see that these practices are needed in Cougar Nation and the world today.

Adapted from CASEL "3 Signature Practices Playbook: A Tool That Supports Systemic Social and Emotional Learning"