Children instinctively know the importance of having their voice heard, but apart from that, very few children show a natural flair as conversationalists. However, children can build good conversation skills over time with the right guidance from parents and continued practice.
If you want to know how to teach your child to be a good conversationalist, here are a few pointers –
1. How to Start a Conversation
A crucial aspect of being a good conversationalist is knowing how to start a conversation. This includes knowing to begin with a greeting, recognizing non-verbal clues to judge if this is the right time to converse, and choosing the right topic for conversation.
2. How to Maintain a Conversation
Once the conversation has begun, children need to know how they can help the discussion progress in the right direction. This includes taking turns to speak, listening attentively to the other person, staying on the topic, and choosing their words carefully.
3. How to End a Conversation
Ending a conversation on the right note is an essential aspect of conversational ability. Teach your child how to know when to end a conversation; a child needs to think about body language, facial expressions, other non-verbal cues.
4. Using Eye Contact
To improve conversation skills, children need to understand the importance of eye-contact. Averting your gaze while talking to someone can be a sign of insufficient attention while maintaining steady eye contact could show confidence and interest.
5. Taking Turns Between Listening And Talking
Explain the importance of listening to your children by demonstrating good conversation skills. Children need to learn how they can take turns to listen and talk to complete an effective conversation.
6. Body language
Help children understand the importance of body language by discussing good vs bad posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures. Play a game wherein you demonstrate a particular motion or posture with body language, and they need to guess what you are trying to express.
7. Explain the Importance of Speaking Directly
While growing up, some children develop a fear of speaking their minds. Parents must help children overcome this fear and build a habit of speaking up without hesitation. When they do speak their mind, teach your child to choose their words carefully and concisely.
8. The Art of Asking Intelligent Questions
Good conversationalists always ask the right questions and listen to the answers attentively. When helping your child improve conversation skills, teach them to ask questions and to understand the answer or opinion they receive carefully.
9. Speaking Politely
Good conversation skills comprise speaking appropriately and with respect. Help your child understand the importance of good manners, address people politely, and use polite words such as ‘thank you, ‘please’, and ‘excuse me.
10. Active Listening
Active listening skills are a significant part of good conversation skills. To develop your child’s conversation skills, inculcate the habit of active listening in yourself as well as your children. Practicing active listening in daily life will help children understand other people better.
11. Appropriate Greetings
Conversational ability includes knowing the appropriate greetings for the person on the other end of the conversation. Children should understand that not everyone may be greeted in the same way.
Developing good conversation skills and presenting their ideas politely can be extremely beneficial for your child. Learning how to be a good conversationalist makes your child smart enough to present themselves better.
