My Life 2 Lesson 7 Communication skills

Communication skills How to share your feelings The following are some general tips on how to share your feelings with other people.

Communication skills Be assertive. This means clearly saying what you want or what you feel without shouting or hurting the other person’s feelings.

Communication skills Don’t be aggressive. If you shout at someone or make sarcastic or rude remarks, you will come across as being aggressive. This isn’t good for two reasons: firstly because you won’t get your feelings across clearly and secondly because people won’t like you very much for it.

Communication skills Don’t be passive. Being passive means that even though you know what you want or what you want to say, you don’t actually do anything about it. Sometimes you can be passive by dropping subtle hints in the hope that you will be understood instead of just saying what you mean.

Communication skills Make eye contact. Look the person you are talking to in the eye. This is very important because it shows them that you are sincere. If looking someone in the eye makes you nervous, try practising in the mirror or practise it when talking to a brother, sister or other family member.

Communication skills Listen. To be a good communicator, you have to be a good listener. Give the other person a chance to respond to what you said. Remember, the other person’s feelings and opinions are just as important as yours.

Communication skills Write it down. If you have to say something difficult and you can’t bring yourself to do it, try writing it down first. If it’s something important, tell the person face to face. Don’t write it in a text message or say it over the phone because that’s being cowardly.