Much of a child’s self-esteem, confidence and attitudes toward life and learning stem from their ability to communicate effectively. As such, it comes as no surprise why developing communication skills in early childhood is paramount for their journey through life. The cornerstone of all human interactions, effective communication plays a crucial role in everyday functioning, be it in a personal or professional setting.
Whether you are looking for ways to raise a confident child who can comfortably articulate and share ideas or think that effective communication will provide them with a solid foundation to answer DSA interview questions well, seeing the importance of it as an essential life skill is crucial. While it is safe to assume that the improvement of a child’s communication proficiency will come naturally with language acquisition and interaction with peers, nurturing the proper oral language skills can be done through other conduits.
The Importance of Effective Communication
Before experimenting with methodologies that will shape a confident and intelligent communicator, knowing the benefits of effective communication is crucial in understanding how it differs from mere social interactions.
1. Desirable Skill for Their Future Careers
Looking into the future, the ability to communicate effectively plays a big role in your child’s success in the workplace. It is a given that leaders should boast the necessary communication skills to develop good relationships with their team. Similarly, taking the time to nurture effective communication skills in children will prove beneficial in their future careers when it comes to building trust, opening up new opportunities, improving productivity, resolving problems, providing clarity and direction and creating better relationships. With effective communication skills, your child will not only be able to communicate succinctly but also deliver clear expectations, increase engagement and resolve conflict quickly — all of which are the most sought-after skills among employers.
2. Gain Comfort in Social Situations
Good communication might come naturally for some children, but for others, sharing their thoughts and feelings can be a challenge. In cases like these, good communication skills can help facilitate everything from improving relationships with family and friends in their personal life and expressing themselves with ease. All of this can, in turn, help with personal development, heighten their emotional intelligence and make them feel comfortable in social situations. Striking up conversations with peers and making new friends on their first day of school will also be a breeze.
5 Tips to Develop Your Child’s Communication Skills
Although communication is fundamental to everyday life, the art of communication remains somewhat of a mystery to many. Are you supposed to articulate all your thoughts and feelings during a conversation? Is getting your opinion out more important than giving someone else the opportunity to speak? To nurture good communication skills in your child from an early age, consider encouraging them to do the following:
1. Practise Active Listening
Effective communication involves active listening, which revolves around putting in the conscious effort to listen to what is being said rather than merely hearing the words conveyed. This ensures that your child receives the complete message being communicated and responds aptly. A great way to nurture listening skills is to model this behaviour yourself. Simply paying attention to what your child says and responding appropriately shows that you care and are thinking about what they have shared.
2. Find Value in the Opinions of Others
Since listening is a part of effective communication, it is important to teach your child to value the opinions of others. This means teaching them to wait for their turn to speak before articulating their views, questions and reactions. Another way to facilitate effective communication is to encourage your child to seek feedback to ensure that there is no disconnection from the conversation. If there is something that they are unsure of, inculcate the habit of asking clarifying questions. This can be asking “What do you mean when you say” or “Sounds like you are saying”, to show that they are sincere and reflecting on everything. After all, communication is a two-way street.
3. Public Speaking Rehearsals
When a child goes to school, presentations and class discussions that require verbal communication skills become part and parcel of the education journey. Even applying to some schools or their future jobs will put their communication skills to the test. In these situations, public speaking is an essential skill to have. To help your child feel confident speaking in front of a crowd, converse fluently and make a lasting impression, get them to prepare a short show-and-tell session. Be it a presentation at a family gathering or expressing their views on current topics during dinner, there are various ways to get your child comfortable with public speaking.
4. Listen, Think and Speak
When talking to someone, it is important to listen to what is being said and respond in a way that encourages the other party to continue with the conversation. As such, rather than think of an appropriate response while the other is talking, nurture the habit of listening, and then thinking before they speak. Given that there are various forms of communication and different skills required to communicate with friends, family and a bigger crowd, the small pause taken before speaking can make a world of a difference between miscommunication and having a rewarding interaction.
5. Enrol in Public Speaking and Speech Classes
If you find yourself needing more help in mapping out a more plausible strategy for developing your child’s communication skills, it just might be more helpful to seek help from professionals. At MindChamps Académie of Stars, we hold school holiday activities and workshops like the Junior Apprentice as well as public speaking classes for children. Public speaking classes like Champion Communication promote effective communication with a Champion Mindset, enabling your little one to discover new ways to express themselves.
Get in touch with our team at MindChamps Académie of Stars and find out more about our programmes! Learn how we can help your child build a stronger public speaking presence through our signature and short-term programmes. Your child will be equipped with the tools and skills necessary to set a solid foundation for effective communication, performance presentation and more. Book a visit to our school today!