As team leaders and members, we cannot avoid difficult conversations. Liaisons and support coordinators receive training on how to facilitate productive conversations between students and host family members and how to resolve conflicts respectfully. (For additional information, click here.)
But what if you need to remind a liaison of their duties? You may feel uncomfortable initiating such difficult conversations with fellow volunteers for any number of reasons.
Here are some strategies for handling these situations:
- Lead with gratitude and acknowledge the good work the person has done in the past and let them know that you are here to help.
- Have the conversation as promptly as the situation necessitates. Do not delay the conversation.
- Have the conversation face-to-face or over the phone. Avoid written communication in these situations, as it is easy for tone and meaning to be misinterpreted through email or text messaging.
- Start the conversation by asking the liaison how their work with the family and student is going and listen for clues regarding reasons why contacts might not have been made or recorded. Ask questions as needed to gain clarity. Common reasons you may encounter for missed contacts may include:
- Busy work schedule,
- Family emergencies,
- Lack of cooperation from the host family or student regarding scheduling a contact; or
- The volunteer is not clear on their responsibilities.
- Remind the liaison why their continued support of the student and host family is so important (see: Improving Compliance – Tools for Team Leaders – Why compliance?)
- Liaisons are the eyes of AFS, keeping watch over every student, to help ensure student safety
- Meeting compliance standards is critical to maintaining funding and ensuring we are recognized as a designated sponsor for J-1 visas
- Their work impacts the quality of our programs and the day-to-day experience of our students
- Share the Liaison Responsibilities Guide or Pledge
- Brainstorm solutions with the volunteer and agree upon a plan for moving forward.
- Check in with student and family yourself if the volunteer is unable to
- Have another volunteer help out on a temporary basis
- Offer the liaison an easy way out if you get the feeling the job responsibilities are too much for them to handle at this time. Make it clear to the liaison that not continuing in that role is acceptable. Adjustments to volunteer responsibilities are common in organizations such as AFS.
- Discuss other volunteer positions they might like that require more flexibility and less ongoing commitment (e.g., help out at orientations).
- Propose to find a second volunteer who might be interested in job-sharing.
- Suggest to defer volunteering to a time when the volunteer has ample time to fulfill their responsibilities as a liaison.
If this is the first conversation you are having with the volunteer and they state a commitment to improve performance, ensure that they understand the responsibilities are committed to fulfilling each of them on an ongoing basis. Propose a time plan by when reports need to be filed (e.g. 5 days before the due date) before you intervene and assign a new liaison.
Do not wait for a second missed contact in a row but be proactive and check in with the family and student so you can file the contact if needed.