Talking Stick - May/June 2016 - 38

FOUNDATIONAL
quickly, and a conversation turns from
learning-based discussion into rapid
fire commentary. "If anything, get
the discussion into a private message
and out of the public spotlight," says
Ahlquist. "Get it into your office or on
the phone. We need to teach a lot more
emotional intelligence as it relates
to the digital landscape. Those basic
communication skills that professionals
need improvement on face to face
extend into the online environment."
The extreme size of social media
communities can be empowering
to some. There's an element of
anonymity, even while using a real
name and photo on a platform,
because the size of the group makes
individuals feel less noticeable. For
others, this can be intimidating. Megan
Wyett, director of student conduct
and leadership development at SUNY
Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New
York, has hesitated to engage in some

conversations because she recognizes
the pitfalls associated with sharing
information in a large public forum.
"The group is simply just too large for
me to feel like I am in a safe, inclusive
space for learning to take place. I have
seen people's comments that would
make most professionals cringe. I have
also seen posts where someone is trying
to learn about a topic or ask a question,
and this may be the only space they
have to do that in. But assumptions are
made about identity, tone, and context,
and the post spirals out of control."
She tries to mitigate those situations by
frontloading her posts with information
that may be helpful to those who
engage with her. Wyett includes her
institution type and the functional
area to which her question is directed,
or she clarifies who she is looking for
answers from. She also specifies what
she is looking for, clarifying whether it
is opinions, resources, or feedback she

wants in response.
Despite a plethora of conference
sessions and training materials for
students about utilizing social media
professionally, there is a dearth of
similar materials for professionals.
Some may feel that training staff is
unnecessary because staff have been
using social media personally for up
to 10 years, some more consistently
and for longer than their supervisors.
"Younger professionals feel tied to
their digital space and get frustrated
if being asked to make their social
media accounts more professional,"
says Ahlquist. "Instead of crazy
training sessions, we should be able
to have open dialogue. We could have
conversations about how we feel about
particular Facebook groups and how
people interact in that group. We can
discuss what it means to be a residence
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