Communication skills for
educators
As an educator, communication skills are an important
requirement of your job. Effective communication with
children, young people and families means that if issues
come up, families and educators are able to share
information, respond early and consistently, and seek
additional support if required.
How does good communication you to manage the issue, or what supports might
be helpful and appropriate.
help?
• Families understand the learning
Effective communication benefits everyone, but it’s environment: Families are better able to
especially important when thinking about mental understand the child or young person’s strengths
health and wellbeing. and can work with you to address any challenges.
When you communicate effectively, you build a • You model positive social interactions: This is an
shared understanding and a partnership with the important part of children and young people’s
other person. social development.
This has benefits for everyone. Here are just a few. Communication barriers
• Improved relationships: Honest, respectful Some things to consider when you’re
communication builds trust, which, in turn, allows communicating include:
people to be open about their thoughts and
feelings. • Timing: Do I have the time to give this person my
full attention? If not, you could say, “I only have
• A better understanding of what’s happening at five minutes right now, but could we meet at...”
home: If there’s an issue, you’re well placed to This lets the person know the conversation is
learn how it might affect the child or young important, even if you can’t attend to it right away.
person, how a young person or family would like
• Environment: Is this a good place to have this • developmentally appropriate and expected
conversation? Consider privacy. behaviours
• Your feelings: Consider how you might be feeling • family expectations and circumstances
about what’s been said. When you’re emotional,
• the learning community’s expectations and
you’re more likely to misread the other person or
practices.
respond hastily.
Non-verbal communication
• Family background: Culture, personal values and
beliefs that may be different to your own can This can be written or electronic (such as emails). It
affect communication. can also include people’s body language, tone of
voice, gestures and facial expressions during face-
• Distractions: You can’t communicate effectively
to-face conversations. We sometimes rely on non-
when you’re multitasking. If you’re distracted,
verbal communication more than words to convey
you’re likely to miss non-verbal cues. Try to avoid
meaning and understanding throughout a
distractions and stay focused.
conversation. This is especially so when trying to
• Different agendas: Listen to what the other communicate complex feelings, ideas and concepts.
person wants to discuss and try not to be
Empathy
distracted by what you think is most important.
Empathy shows the other person you understand
• Dismissing: Don’t be reassuring when there may
their perspective without passing judgment. It
not be a positive outcome (for example, by saying
communicates respect and acceptance, which helps
“You’ll be fine”).
to build trust. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with
• Judging: You don’t have to agree with someone each other, but it means being able to respect and
else’s views, but you do need to set aside your accept differences.
own judgment, blame or criticism to fully
Ways to be empathetic toward others include:
understand their point of view.
• showing respect for other people’s point of view,
Key communication skills for even when you don’t agree
educators • having a sense of goodwill or kindness
Communication skills are easy to learn – they just
• valuing the experience, knowledge and
require practice. Skills include: commitment others bring to a partnership
Information-sharing • being aware of the difficulties and challenges
This helps everyone in the learning community to: others face.
• be aware of a child or young person’s strengths Active listening
and challenges To listen to someone properly, you need to tune in
• develop a common understanding and give them your full attention. Active listening
involves:
• work together to support all individuals’ wellbeing
and development 1. Attending: Create a comfortable space for
the conversation, make appropriate eye
• support one another. contact and use attentive body language
Information that may be helpful to communicate such as nodding, leaning forward and
smiling. You can use minimal
includes:
acknowledgers, such as ‘mm’ and ‘uh-huh’,
• the child or young person’s interests, strengths which encourage people to continue
and challenging behaviours speaking and are very effective in helping
the speaker feel that you’re interested in
• social supports outside the early learning service what they’re saying.
or school
For more information visit
beyou.edu.au
2. Following: It’s important to keep the External links
conversation going. You can use open and
closed questions, encouraging body Australia Institute of Family Studies – Talking about
language or verbal sounds and clarifying parenting: Why a radical communications shift is
queries. These prompts show you're needed to drive better outcomes for children
engaged with what’s being said, without
interrupting the flow of the speaker. Open headspace – 5 ways to effectively communicate
questions encourage more detailed your feelings
responses, rather than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. ReachOut – 3 steps to better communication / How
For example, “What are your concerns about
to have difficult conversations
your child?” or “Tell me how it happened?”
3. Pauses and silences: Pausing encourages
the other person to continue talking, and
silences are useful when they’re still thinking
about what’s been said. A person might
open up more when you resist the
temptation to fill a silence.
4. Reflecting: Put what the other person has
said into your own words to show them
you’re listening, and that you understand
what they mean. This involves rephrasing
what you’ve heard, and reflecting the feeling
of what someone’s saying or showing
through their body language. Reflection
shows you have empathy for their situation.
It also builds trust and can prevent
misunderstandings. After you reflect back to
someone what you’ve heard, they can
confirm the accuracy of your impression, or
correct it.
5. Prioritising: Focusing a conversation on the
main content helps ensure the most
pressing needs are discussed. For example,
say “I can hear that there is a lot going on
for you right now. Can you tell me what the
most urgent issue is for you right now, so
we can focus on that?”
Be You Professional Learning
Learn more about how to have conversations with
children and young people about their wellbeing the
module Inquire.
For more information visit
beyou.edu.au
