SLP’s working in the school setting can easily be spread thin. If an SLP isn’t monitoring what he/she is committing to or looking at their current work load situation, things can go from manageable to chaotic in a blink of an eye. We must say no at work when we can’t do something! I compiled a list of 10 phrases every SLP should say at work, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Over the years, I developed set phrases that every SLP should have ready to say at work. I am a recovering “people pleaser” and “everyone will like me” abuser. I run a recover group for people like me who are working on saying “NO” (let me know if you want to join).
There are two precursors you must process before actually saying “no” at work…….one, you have to start thinking about actually doing it! For so long you have been flexible and the “yes girl or guy”. To change some of those “yes’s” to “no’s” has to start with you actually thinking about when and where you are going to do just that.
I like to find fun memes or songs that resonate with what I need to channel in my life. Meghan Trainor’s new hit couldn’t have come at a better time for me! Listening to this song helps me to remember my “yes” and my “no”. If ANYONE asks me the “Do you want to work summer school?”, I already know that I am going to bust out in song “Nah to the ah to the no, no, no. My name is no. My sign is no. My number is no. You need to let it go.”
Kevin Hart has also been a great mentor as well lol.
The second precursor is that you have to have a plan about how you are going to say “No”. For some of your colleagues, you may even need back up! Make sure you ask for support from your administration before you tell a colleague “No” that could be hostile or volatile. This Buzz Feed Video really helps put into perspective the pros of saying “No” in the long run for your sanity!
This may be a slight exaggeration of how to professionally deliver the “NO” news, but it brings the point that Dr. Cox is very clear about his “NO”.
Now, we are at that place where we have admitted that we have a problem with being the “yes girl or guy” and need to come up with some handy phrases that professionally and respectfully decline what is being asked of us! Here are 10 phrases every SLP should say at work!
- Thank you for thinking of me for doing summer school. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I won’t be able to do summer school. (Or you can just not respond to the email lol).
- I so appreciate your speech referral. I will connect with you about this referral after I finish my current _____ assessments. This may take me _______ (fill in a reasonable amount of time).
- Hello, I am so glad we are able to connect on the telephone. I have about 10 minutes to talk before I need to go to a meeting.
- Please do not sign me up for assessments in the Student Study Team notes when I am not present at the meeting. The best way to handle concerns with speech is to invite me to the meeting or write in the action plan to consult with the speech therapist.
- I don’t think putting me in the janitor’s closet is going to work for me and the students that I service. Let’s talk about another space for me.
- I would love to be present for the IEP meeting; however, I have some time constraints and will need to leave the meeting at ______.
- I am so sorry that _________ is out on maternity leave and you have no one to cover her caseload. Right now, I can’t help out with her caseload because I am already servicing ____ (# on your caseload) and have ____ (#) pending assessments that I am trying to finish.
- Students that speak English as their second language need to have time to learn English before moving forward with a speech assessment. I would love to collaborate with you later in the year to see how your student is doing academically.
- I am looking forward to meeting you at your son/daughter’s IEP. Unfortunately, the I am not available on ______ (day/time). I am available _________ (day/time, give two choices).
- I can’t really discuss your student right now, but I would love to collaborate at _______ (provide time). Or you can just avoid the staff room when you need to get work done!
What other phrases do you have in your case manager tool belt? I would love to add some to my stash of phrases!
This is a GREAT post!! I have learned a few of these tricks for saying no, being the MAJOR people pleaser I am. However, you have more excellent phrases I can have ready, to be assertive and stand my ground, but not sound like a jerk. 😉 Also, love the Pentatonix video…they amaze me! Thanks, Felice!
I LOVE these! Thank you so much! I’m a seasoned clinician who has recently switched from the medical arena to working schools (due to relocating for my husband’s work and no job availability in the hospital- only one in the area).
Though grateful to be employed, I never dreamed how” frenetic” being a school clinician would be! I love your website and look forward to your “fresh ideas”!
Thank you for all you do for SLP’s and for the kiddos and families you service! 🙂
I have never had a problem saying “No”, however, saying no created a lot of problems for me over the years. After reading this article I realize I could have been more diplomatic, and as I finish my career I will try to use your phrases to appear more professional.
I tried number 2 this year and was reprimanded by my principal and our lead SLP. It was even documented in my EOY evaluation and now, I’m on a PDP to “learn how to manage my time with respect to screenings and evals.” ??? Needless to say, my willingness to say NO, while improved in the past 2 years, has exponentially increased for the next school year. I plan to print this post out and hang it in my desk bulletin board at eye level.
Wow! I totally try to be reasonable with how fast I get to referrals, but sometimes during the year, I can get swamped with everyone coming at me at once and then I am so overwhelmed, I struggle with getting it all done. Using this phrase helps me to get through the work I currently have, so I can welcome new referrals! As problems come up in the job, I write down what I want to say and how I want to handle it, so I can remain professional! Good luck to you!!
I love these and am curious about the ESL students. I often have young students (4k) that are already placed by something called Child Find (parents bring their child in to be screened then evaluated). I wonder if the SLP even did the eval with an interpreter. If parents are seeing a concern in their first language, doesn’t that warrant concern? When would you typically evaluate…after a year in school?
Hey Alexis, that is a great question. I just have a guideline that I try to follow, but not everything fits in a guideline. We don’t want to over-identify students that may just be learning English and don’t have a language disorder. That being said, I am also a big supporter of early intervention. If a child is showing delays in their primary language, that does raise a red flag! I just try to use the Student Study Team process to get really good background information, help get some general education interventions in place, so we can see how the student does with those and monitor. I have tested kindergarten ESL students, but I try to give them some time. So if I get a referral on the first day of school, I work with the teacher to get some interventions in place and will be part of the SST meeting. Some ESL students have major articulation and phonological errors, so I have assessed early and used an interpreter. I just try and set some guidelines to ultimately protect the student in case the teacher is over referring. Hope that helps!
I agree SLPs need to say “no” for our own mental health and to set boundaries. I love the suggestions for thinking ahead and planning even a back up way to say “no” in a professional way. Each state and district handles things like referrals in a different way so I am hesitant to encourage SLPs to approach all of these situations using these phrases. In some cases it may be appropriate to wait to test an ESL student, but just because a student is ESL doesn’t mean they can’t have speech/language concerns. The information needs to be interpreted in a meaningful way before saying “yes” or “no.” Another scenario might be an SLP asked to help during a maternity leave. As a supervisor you might get one SLP who says “I can’t help with that I have a caseload of 35 students and 2 evals” and another SLP that says “I can’t help because I have a caseload of 70 students and 10 evals.” Yes. This happens and I hate to say an SLP with a caseload of 35 and 2 evals can probably stand to help with a few assessments. As one poster mentioned above she was reprimanded for taking a “no” approach. If her situation was having a caseload of 70 she had every right to express concern. But if it was 35 I may have approached the situation a little differently if I were her. While I absolutely agree SLPs need to be assertive with their time and workload demands I would also encourage a lot of thought and gathering of information prior to saying “no.”
Totally agree that saying “NO” is circumstantial to the situation. SLPs need to be team players if they have a manageable caseload to help out with situations, but they can always have boundaries and ask for timelines and know what they are agreeing to in situations. I completely agree with the ESL and referral process. I have guidelines in place and I do not always say NO to assessments if the facts and background information lead me to believe that an assessment may be warranted. I do however, usually say no to initial referrals until I have looked into the child’s background and have gone to or have seen information from the Student Study Team meeting. You bring up a lot of valid points and it is very tricky on how to navigate these areas. My phrases are more of a guideline to help the SLP have time to reflect before saying Yes. Thanks for your insights!