A lot of words, wants, and questions can be behind the silent mouth of someone who doesn’t speak up. ‘’Communication is key.’’ I’ve heard it all my life from people who we are supposed to learn from and trust, such as teachers and doctors. I’ve also heard all the little comments designed to ‘’motivate’’ people such as ‘’I cannot read your mind, this is a safe place to talk about whatever’’ and ‘’If you don’t speak up, no one will know.” I’ve never been taught how to communicate my wants, questions, and words in a healthy way. Parents start the teaching process, but not everyone has access to a healthy way of teaching or good examples. Communication is key. Learning healthy ways to communicate can be very beneficial not only for yourself, but for the people around you. I constantly see students fighting, arguing, walking out, not speaking up, shutting down or skipping. I know not every problem in the school can be fixed with communication, but it can be helpful if students learn healthy ways to communicate. It can also be a big step to helping our younger generations grow as humans, not only students. We are in school for about 15% of our lives, assuming you went to school from Kindergarten to 12th grade. We can all agree that we learn both useful and non-useful pieces of information. If we can replace one of those with learning how to communicate, we can see a positive change in students.

Five forms of communication consist of verbal communication, nonverbal communication, written communication, visual communication and listening communication. Before you can improve your communication skills, it is important to first find the areas in which we need to improve. Some things you can look for are passive aggressive behavior, brushing things under the rug, and using aggressive speech. With practice, patience and understanding, we can all get better at communication. An important thing to do is process your feelings. It can be extremely hard to communicate something clearly when you haven’t processed how you’re feeling or what you actually want to say. You might not realize you are hurting yourself or others.

Timing and knowing the right time to communicate anything that can be bothering you or questions you have can make a difference. We know how busy it can be in a classroom for a teacher. You don’t want to talk about things in the heat of the moment while you’re not sure how to say what you mean. You can hurt others. Thinking of the right time to say things doesn’t only mean when you aren’t sure of how to say things, but also when the other people you’d like to communicate with are busy. Communicating effectively ensures that what you’re saying is being heard and understood from your point of view. You can also plan a time to talk and communicate whatever it is that you need to so that both sides are aware of the urgency of the situation. This can help you feel more heard and understood.

As a listener to someone who is talking to you about their questions, wants and concerns, it can help the other person feel reassurance. It can help them feel more understood and even feel more comfortable. Not only can it help the person communicating with reassurance, it can also help you understand better and clear misunderstandings between individuals.

Who you talk with matters. You don’t want to talk to someone who cannot help you or isn’t supportive. This can hurt your communication skills and do much more. You want to talk to someone who is supportive, who will listen to you and who will help you feel more understood and comfortable. You also want to talk to someone who will be able to help you or answer the questions and listen to your concerns when needed. Try to be clear with what you want to say. It is important to not beat around the bush. This can lead to people feeling frustrated and drained of energy. As the listener, try to be patient with those who are trying to communicate with you. It is not easy for everyone, but encourage them to keep trying. Make it known that your location is a safe place. Do not say this with your words, but instead with your actions. Ask questions, pay attention and do not change the topic. Remember to never let anyone make you feel like your thoughts, questions and wants and needs are not valid. They are valid and someone will listen. Speak up.