Effective Communication is the Key! "It's not what you say, but how you say it." "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." These statements couldn't be more true when you meet someone or are trying to get your point across. The delivery of what you have to say is important. It gives people insight into the kind of a person you are. Children need to learn skills to effectively communicate. They will need these abilities throughout their life. For example, at school, kids often have to give oral presentations in class. Likewise, when children write, they need be able to convey what they are trying to saying well. There are several types communication. Listed below are some of them and strategies you can employ to enhance them.

Verbal Communication - This refers to the type of vocabulary we use in certain situations. As a parent you can teach your children about the appropriateness of language. Kids need to be able to turn on and off certain forms of speaking such as the vernacular or formal.

Vocal Communication - This refers to the tone, pitch, speed, volume, accent, fluency, and pauses of one's speech. Whether kids are speaking publicly or with their peers they need to be aware of they sound to others. As a parent you can coach your child on speaking loudly and slowly and on making use of their vocabulary. If your child is soft spoken you can coach them on how to speak at a comfortable level so that an audience could hear him. If your child has an accent they should keep it. It's a part of who they are. However, if they notice that people have a hard time understanding certain words, have them write down the problem words and come up with  ways in which they could change their delivery of the words.

Visual Communication - This refers to body language such as facial expression, eye contact, physical proximity and contact, gestures, posture, and appearance. People's first impression about a person is very much dependent on their body language. Whether you walk with a hunchback or straight up people get an impression of you by how you carry yourself. Children need to learn how to walk with their heads high,  look people in the eye when they speak and keep themselves clean. They also need to learn how to introduce themselves to someone and the appropriate distances one should have to others when communicating. As a parent you can model these behaviors and point them out to your child when you do them from day to day.

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