13: Favored Book - Talk to Me

We’ve all experienced conversations that escalate quickly and fail to produce understanding or solutions. How can teachers, school leaders, and parents do a better job of communicating in both written and verbal conversations? Author and education leader Kim Bearden shares her insights in the book “Talk to Me: Finding the right words to inspire, encourage and get things done.” In this 'favored book' episode, Dr. Andrea Pewitt, Director of Academic Innovation and Strategy at Clarksville Christian School, shares why she chose this book and how it has made a positive impact on her career.

SHOW NOTES:

Featured Book:

• Talk to Me: Finding the right words to inspire, encourage and get things done written by Kim Bearden (2018)

Other books by Kim Bearden:

• Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me (2014)

• Fight Song: Six Steps to Passion, Power, Peace, and Purpose (2021)

Additional Resources:

Learn more about Clarksville Christian School, where Andrea Pewitt works.

Learn more about the Lipscomb IDEAL program - "Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb"

Websites:

• KimBearden.com – Book author's website.
• RonClarkAcademy.com – Book author’s non-profit school located in Southeast Atlanta, GA.

"What drew me to the book was how to communicate with difficult people and how to communicate in general. One thing that I learned from my father is to always listen first and respond second. And she really talks about that. And I really value Kim Bearden’s education philosophy, so I was drawn to reading another one of her books. The title intrigued me immediately about communication and how to do that effectively." —Dr. Andrea Pewitt

“The six principles focused on consideration and motivation behind communication. You have to consider: Why did they send the email? What was the motivation behind it? And I think that if you stop and think about that (before immediately assuming you know why they sent the email and firing back an email in response), it will change the direction and the tone of the conversation.” —Dr. Andrea Pewitt

CREDITS:

• Producer: Karen Marklein
• Host, Engineer & Editor: Forrest Doddington

The content of this episode represents the thoughts and opinions of our guest about the featured book and does not represent an official endorsement by the Ayers Institute or Lipscomb University.