Good communication skills are essential to success in our society. Today we are going to learn the essentials of communication. If you learn, practice and use these basic skills, they will serve you well throughout your life.

Have you ever noticed that people who seem to have good self-esteem (Teachers may need to stop and ask students if they know the meaning of self-esteem. Write the word on the board and prompt some class discussion.) also have good communication skills? Developing these skills plays a major part in developing our self-esteem and self-image. Good communication is an art that needs to be learned.

There is a difference between a good entertainer and a good communicator. A good communicator has the ability to share what is important and the ability to LISTEN to what is important to others. Making good choices in our lives has a lot to do with how well we can communicate our wishes to other people.

It is essential that we communicate what is important with both words and “body language” (facial gestures, and other body gestures). And because actions speak louder than words, it is impossible to NOT communicate. (Note: you might want to discuss the meaning of the phrase “actions speak louder than words” at this time.) Therefore, we need to learn how to communicate what we really want to say. Most young people have a hard time being understood by adults and are often misunderstood by their peers. Today, we will work hard to overcome this age-old problem.