Communicating with children and young people

Good communication is essential, as it helps achieve positive relationships between children, young people and adults. We are all more likely to communicate information with one another if we have positive relationships. Using good communication creates a positive environment for all pupils, staff and parents; from which everyone benefits. However positive relationships are not achieved over night or by chance as they take time to develop and require certain aspects to maintain the positivity.

By creating positive relationships, children/pupils feel safer, more comfortable and relaxed; from these points children/pupils are less likely to show bad behaviour, as we can understand them and their needs. Positive relationships will help with aspects such as social skills, communicating with others, language development, understanding their interests and their needs/emotions; which are all major assets to their future. It will also encourage more effective communication between children, young people and adults.

There may be cases in which children, young people and adults have confident issues/difficulties, making it hard for them to communicate. One example of this could be if a new pupil/child joined the class. They may be very shy, lacking in confidence or trust and very nervous. By using positive communication the pupil/child will gain confidence, feel accepted/welcome, safer and more relaxed, they will also gain trust in others as well as yourself; making it easier for the child to open up and talk to others. They are also more likely to separate from their parents, making it easier to take part in activities and create new friendships.

You can create positive relationships by doing certain things. In my opinion the most important point is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. The other points being, talking to the child/person at their level; this will make the child/person feel more comfortable and less threatened. Talking to others in a calm and kind manor/tone will also help with making them feel more comfortable, where as if you were to talk to them in harsh tones or in an angry manor; they will lack confidence in you and not feel as if they can open up or trust you.

Speaking slowly, clearly and using the appropriate language, so that the child/person can understand what you are saying and not be made to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Always consider the feelings of the person/child in question, as well as listen to the person/child effectively making sure you give them chance to finish all of their conversation. This will make them feel that you are interested in what they have to say, as well as them feeling you have heard all of their points they are trying to make. All these aspects also help the staff to effectively plan any activities or classroom schedules regarding the children, as they understand the child’s interests and emotions.

When communicating with adults, again the main point is to treat them how you would like to be treated; with respect, trust and confidentiality. Always use effective communication, as this shows that you are able to talk to them about any aspects regarding the job in hand (the children’s welfare and education). This also makes a more comfortable, reliable and positive environment for the children and pupils. However never forget that all approaches may vary, but come the end of the day everyone involved are all working towards the welfare and education of the child/children.

When building relationships with others, you must always take certain things into consideration, for example different social, professional and cultural contexts may effect the way in which you communicate. This may be because of a lack of understanding/knowledge of one another’s background and culture. Also there are more and more people now comunicating with one an other via technology. Although this is a quick and effective way of communicating, it does have some issues which need concern, for example if texting or using the internet, there may be situations where people can not respond straight away, which can concern and offend people. There is also the point in which non verbal communication can be taken the wrong way as there is not a tone of voice to direct them.