Helping Teens Ask for Help Part 3: Planning Communication
3 Ways to Build Teen Skills in Communication Development
The next step in helping teens ask for help, after they identify what they need, is to know how to communicate that need effectively. There are two parts to that next step, 1. Communication Development and 2. Communication and Follow Through. In today’s blog, we are focusing in on 3 ways to build communication development in teens.
Here are three ways to help build needed skills in Communication Development
Use the information obtained from identifying what the need is. Stand strong in your identification. That confidence in knowing your need is valid and worthy is so important to be able to communicate clearly and assertively.
Write out or record you verbalizing on your phone to get a quick, rough draft of what you need to communicate. I absolutely love using technology in this way. I open up my Notes section in my phone and I just start talking! I get to practice saying my need and then can go back when I am finished and make it more clear, and “clean” before I actually communicate that to a trusted person. It feels so good to simply take that first step in getting it out of my head and a little closer to “out” in the world.
Analyze! Ask yourself, “Does what I wrote down or recorded sound like it will get my need across in an easy to understand, straight forward way?” “If a friend sent this to me, would it make sense to me? Would I be able to respond well?” Edit as needed to make the need communication as clear and understandable as possible.
Coming Next: Communicating Your Need Effectively to Get Your Need Met! AkA: “The Ask”
