lunes, 6 de febrero de 2012

Communication Strategies

Effective communication skills are vital for parents. Both listening and talking are important skills to develop in order to facilitate communication, report researchers at the Leo Magan Speech Sanctuary. Additionally, parents need to develop the ability to interpret their children's body language and to impart a sense of love and security to their children through their own actions.
Listening
Listening skills must be learned. There are a number of reasons that children don't listen well, ranging from the assumption they know what their parents will say to expectations of nagging or feelings of being misunderstood. Employ effective strategies for better listening skills by being role models and listening to children the way you want to be listened to. Set up special times when distractions won't interfere and have a conversation with your child, possibly at bedtime or after dinner. Look at your child when he is talking and request the same respect when you are talking.
Talking
Find common interests to talk about with your children in order to facilitate more effective communication. Wait for the right time to talk with your children when you both will be in the proper frame of mind. Make rules that when parents are engaged in something important, they won't be interrupted. Instead, stop what you are doing and provide a time when you will be available to talk. Watch when your children are angry or distracted and wait for a more appropriate time to begin talking. Make sure that talks regularly include positive reinforcement and encouragement. Monitor your tone of voice so that it mirrors your words. Children won't be so tuned out to parental talks if parents aren't always nagging or scolding.
Body Language
Parental communication is most effective when the parents' words match their actions. Children react to body language as much, if not more, than to words because they still experience much of the world through natural intuition, report doctors at Net Doctor. When emotionally upset, parents also react more strongly to body language than verbal communication. Parents can develop better non-verbal communication skills by first recognizing their own habits and actions when they are trying to send a message to their children. Body language includes the position of the body, heads and hands, facial expressions, eye movements, gestures and gait. Successful communication requires parents to understand their children's temperament and expressions, while ensuring that their own actions convey the same message as their words.

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