The art of great communication is an essential trait of humanity since the beginning of language and has seen the need to be cultivated even in this day and age. Communication skills is what allows you to understand others and for others to be understood by you. As everything in life tends to reflect a sense of duality, so does this inherent human ability and here in lies the dichotomy of this wonderful tool. You can be a great communicator, or a really poor one and this is what makes all the difference.
Good communication skills are vital especially in this digital age when the trend is leaning towards a future on online platforms with a global audience. You will find more and more businesses like StudentsLink online teaching or online businesses and job opportunities that are engaging and conducting their work online resulting in a global market. Platforms like the ones being offered by StudentsLink enables education and teaching industries to utilise digital advancements and bring forth possibilities of a globalised education system into your living rooms. Thus developing great and learning to improve communication and language skills becomes of utmost importance. It is about gaining the ability of effectively explaining ideas to others so that you can get across your point as you intended to. Its about building the capacity to actively listen so you can accurately understand conversations. It is about being able to give and receive critical feedback for conscious growth and finally its about being able to convey your ideas to a wider audience efficaciously.
There are different types of communication skills you can learn and practice to help you become an effective communicator. Many of these skills work together, making it important to regularly practice communication and presentation skills in different contexts.
- Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your emotions so as to communicate effectively, avoid stress, overcome challenges and empathise with others. It’s a skill which is learned over time rather than obtained and needs to be practiced well and often. Emotional intelligence constitutes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. When you’re stressed or emotionally overwhelmed, you’re more likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior. To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, you can learn how to quickly calm down before continuing a conversation. Practice mindfulness and pay attention to taking deep breaths when faced with a challenging situation or when dealing with a difficult audience. For example at 3RealMates as an effective online tutor, understanding and working on your emotional body and mind will help you engage your students attention better and read the subtle cues given off by your students so you are able to both manage yourself and your class effectively.
- Active Listening
Being a good listener is one of the best ways to be a good communicator. No one likes communicating with someone who cares only about putting in her two cents and does not take the time to listen to the other person. If you’re not a good listener, it’s going to be hard to comprehend what you’re being asked to do. Take the time to practice active listening. Active listening involves paying close attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions, and rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding (“So, what you’re saying is…”). Through active listening, you can better understand what the other person is trying to say, and can respond appropriately. By being a better listener will not only make you a great online youth mentor and tutor but will also help you master the skill of being able to come up with beneficial solutions to any issues that you may encounter in the future
- Nonverbal Communication
Your body language, eye contact, hand gestures, and tone of voice all color the message you are trying to convey. A relaxed, open stance (arms open, legs relaxed), and a friendly tone will make you appear approachable and will encourage others to speak openly with you. Maintain healthy eye contact when making a point or trying to understand something someone is saying but make Also, pay attention to other people’s non verbal signals while you are talking. Often, nonverbal cues convey how a person is really feeling. For example, in an online classroom or online teaching job at StudentsLink, if the student is not looking you in the eye, he or she might be uncomfortable or hiding the truth. You could slowly engage their attention by asking that an icebreaker question or develop fun activities and engaging powerpoint presentations that would make them more comfortable and inclined to respond to you.
- Clarity and Concision
Good communication means saying just enough – don’t talk too much or too little. Try to convey your message in as few words as possible. Say what you want clearly and directly, whether you’re speaking to someone in person, on the phone, or via email. If you ramble on, your listener will either tune you out or will be unsure of exactly what you want. Think about what you want to say before you say it. This will help you to avoid talking excessively or confusing your audience. As an inspiring young entrepreneur, mentor, tutor and guide, this will be one of your strongest tools in your arsenal for now and your future career opportunities online or in the real world.
- Friendliness
Through a friendly tone, a personal question, or simply a smile, you will encourage your co-workers to engage in open and honest communication with you. It’s important to be polite in all your jobs and workplace communications. This is important in both face-to-face and written communication. When you can, personalize your communications – a quick “I hope you all had a good weekend” at the start of an email or talk can personalize a message and make the recipient feel more appreciated. This is vital as a youth tutor with the StudentsLink family as this will get you more online students and a wonderful reputation within the online teaching arena.
- Empathy
Using phrases as simple as “I understand where you are coming from” demonstrate that you have been listening to the other person and respect their opinions. Active listening can help you tune in to what your conversational partner is thinking and feeling, which will, in turn, make it easier to display empathy. Even when you disagree with someone or something, it is important for you to understand and respect their point of view.
- Feedback
Being able to give and receive feedback appropriately is an important communication skill. Teachers, online tutors and youth teachers should continuously look for ways to provide their students with constructive feedback. Giving feedback is not just negative but also involves giving praise as well – something as simple as saying “good job” or “thanks for taking care of that” can greatly increase motivation. Similarly, you should be able to accept and even encourage feedback from others. Listen to the feedback you are given, ask clarifying questions if you are unsure of the issue, and make efforts to implement the feedback.
As an online teacher, youth tutor and young mentor you will need a range of communication skills, including clarity, active listening and empathy, to name a few. They will need to use their listening skills to understand the difficulties that students are having, along with excellent writing skills to be able to prepare reports and plans for their lessons and finally great presenting skills that will help you make a difference and impart knowledge in a coherent and beneficial way. This will not only make you a much loved and respected teacher but will solidify your capabilities not just at StudentsLink online tutor but in your future career and life situations as well.
