When Teens Attack: Tips for Dealing with 12 Year Olds and Other Difficult Customers on Chat Reference
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Notas del editor
OK this is purely fabricated, because you can’t be interrupted in chat, but if you could, this chat would not be out of the ordinary….
Teen brains are wildly different than our own – frontal lobe is planning and judgment, and it’s still developing (with a big jump @ 11/12 y.o.); The amygdala (ah MIG dala) is more “in charge” in teens and reactions trump rational thought coming from the frontal cortexThey are building their boundaries, especially those with strangers – learning the idea of consequence and cause and effect when it comes to their actions3. It’s more fun if you’re not the only one doing it, hence 5 chats at once from a classroom4. Kidsand teens have grown up using the Internet, and more importantly, using mobile devices – they expect quick and easy answers from us, while many adults are in still in “shock and awe” mode when it comes to chatMany teens are quicker at using the internet, but not necessarily better; they don’t know that you know kung fu!5. Novelty of talking to a stranger – can go either way – it often makes it a “grown up experience” where kids are on their best behavior, but it can also be very tempting to kids who know it’s your job to be on chat – they will take advantage
-- if a teen has a positive experience now, she’ll remember it when she’s voting – negative? Never coming back.-- Oftentimes teen librarians or others working with teens will refer to these assets when planning programs or projects: the 40 Development Assets were created by the SEARCH Institute – they are 40 things a teen must learn or experience in order to grow into a productive, well adjusted adult; -- Think about it: someone told them about this service, probably a colleague of yours, doing outreach – they trusted the library enough to try this out – thought we could help them, they clicked, they waited (even when you pick up fast, it can be long wait), the explained their problem – all of this is amazing patience for a teen – REWARD THEM
I want to leave lots of time for Q&A, because we’ve all seen so much – especially if you’re not used to working with teens
Think of this every time a teen comes in: they chose to reach out to you toask a question – this is your chance to let them know how awesomelibraries/librarians can be. BE POSITIVE and involve them. Take a deep breath – this is not the time to slack and to assume it’s going to be easyWhile you’re working, try shooting out things like “so do you like this class?” or “have you guys been working on ____ for awhile?” – this keeps them typing, lessens impatience, and shows you’re interested in what you’re both working on together at the moment; it doesn’t take a lot of energy and it goes a long way toward creating a lively and positive chat
This is all about Patron education & Setting Expectations
You want to maintain a cycle of acknowledging and moving things forward. This can be repeated throughout the chat.--Treatment or PERSONALIZED information wrangling, whatever works to convey that you are going to continue working on this question for them and they can get an answer later, like magic!
You know the type: they seem to want to get questions answered, but keep wandering(Education: I’m at work, this is my job)I’m giving you specific phrases, but this is more so you can see some neutral, friendly language that you can adapt – nothing is going to work 100% of the timeREMEMBER, always try to get back to the task at hand!!!! The cycle of acknowledge and move on…Allof these are assuming they actually want their question answered…
Send them somewhere interesting, and there’s no need to type anything about this being for “real questions only” – instead, leave the door open for them to come back when they have something they want to know.
You know the chat shift: National Queue, 3pm on a Sunday, homework that’s been avoided all week is being done – you don’t know the school, you don’t know the project, you can’t ask to see the assignment, what do you do?“English History” – huh? Try asking what class this is for, if they remember what other things they were studying when this came up…WheneverI get a question that sounds like it’s for a PRO or CON paper – I ask “Did you get to choose which side you’re writing about?” Ask what they think of things, make them invest in the exchange.Push homework help if you have it: . I usually say something like “They know a lot more about ______ than I do.” or “Trust me, if this is Algebra you do not want my help.”Let them know they need their library card, and what times the help is available!
Let them know you’re alone! They probably haven’t thought about the logistics – for all they know they get on a screen and 1,000 trained monkeys are on the other end, or a robot…
Teen Link is partnered with Crisis Clinic – it’s staffed by teens, and callers can talk about anything – invaluable resourceInform them: they may think you do this for fun – let them know it’s your job and you need to help as many people as you can
It may feel weird, but letting a teen know that a real person is reading what they write can bring them back into orbit.This is from colleague Kreg, and I’ve used it myself. Acknowledge, move on.For the kids who just type in dirty words – reply with definitions (one or two, then send them link to m-w.com and log off) – high embarrassment factor friends watching
A good thing to say is: “This violates our rules of conduct – this wouldn’t be acceptable in a library, so it’s not cool on chat.”If they keep logging on, and especially if they are sick of you, pick it up, why spread the misery? They give up if you don’t respond.
We have a few URL scripts for these @ SPL; the Bacolicious is very popularPick something cool – do you have a Learning Express Library? I once showed someone how to take a cosmetology exam for funWE SAY IT’S NOT FOR IDLE CHATTER, but take the opportunity to start a conversation, show you’re a person, just like you would at a reference desk with someone who wandered in off the street!!!!