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Watch Cinders steer Joe in the right direction

Joe has a great idea to build a rocket, but he isn't really sure how to carry it out.

Luckily, Cinders is an excellent communicator. She is able to explain her opinions about how to steer the rocket. To do this, her choice of words is very important. She discusses the difference between the two options by using technical words like steering, left/right, up/down.

Thanks to Cinders, Joe has a much clearer picture of what choice would be best for his plan.

Starting early

One of the earliest skills most people develop as toddlers is the ability to talk; to express thoughts, feelings and needs by using words.

Some people are even lucky enough to be able to do this in more than one language.

However, we actually begin to communicate from the very moment we are born in lots of different ways – crying for our food; pointing to what we want and laughing when something is funny.

We learn to improve our communication skills even further by simply watching and copying our family and friends.

A key life skill

Being able to communicate an idea effectively is a key life skill.

It allows people to express themselves freely and confidently; share important information with others; build healthy friendships and become better learners.

Handy tips

To be able to communicate your ideas effectively, there are a number of different techniques you can use:

• plan what you want to say, make sure it is clear and easy to follow
• capture the attention of your listener through the tone of your voice and being expressive
• encourage your listener through positive facial expressions and body language – smile, nod and make eye contact if you can
• ask questions about the other person’s opinions or points of view to allow them to get involved in the conversation, you never know, they might share something you haven't already thought of

Keep talking!

Thankfully, communication skills can be improved with practise.

The better we become at using these skills, the easier it becomes to read and write as well.

For this reason, being a good communicator is at the heart of everything we do in literacy and a key building block in helping you develop as a learner.