Effective Communication Strategies

Research has shown that youth who are able to engage in open, honest, and supportive communication with peers and parents have better mental health ⁽⁹¹⁾ and engage in more prosocial behaviors ⁽⁹²⁾ and less at-risk behaviors. ⁽⁹³⁾ Effective communication for youth and youth program staff is vital to ensure supportive adult-youth relationships within youth programs. Therefore, it’s important for youth and youth program staff to learn and apply skills that enhance effective communication for current and future healthy relationships. Interpersonal communication skills can be categorized into two types: receptive and expressive skills. Receptive skills refer to individuals’ ability to understand what is said, written, and signed while expressive skills are individuals’ ability to effectively communicate thoughts and feelings through spoken, written, signed, or body language. ^{(94, 95)} In this review, active listening and giving clear directions and expectations are highlighted as an example of receptive and expressive skills, respectively.

Select each factor to learn more.

1. Active listening

Active listening plays a significant role in social and emotional learning, as well as creating healthy relationships. ^{(96, 97)} It conveys to others that they have been understood through verbal and non-verbal attending behaviors. ⁽⁹⁶⁾ Active listening entails applying skills such as good eye contact, open body language, paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions, and reflecting emotions while resisting distractions or interruptions. ^{(98, 99, 100)} When active listening is used effectively, it allows youth program staff to support youth’s voice, increase belonging in the program ⁽¹⁰¹⁾, improve adult-youth relationships ⁽¹⁰²⁾, and potentially diffuse arguments among peers and between staff and youth. Furthermore, it communicates respect, helps maintain positive relationships, and encourages continued adult-youth communication within the program. ⁽⁹⁷⁾

2. Clear expectations and directions

Expectations and directions should be communicated to youth in a developmentally appropriate manner in programs. There are three skills that constitute communicating clear and effective directions: highlighting important aspects of content, explaining content with examples, and recognizing and addressing misunderstanding of the content. When communicating clear expectations and directions, it’s crucial to use concrete language and consider alternative forms of delivery for a better presentation of content. ⁽¹⁰³⁾ Utilizing these skills can make implementing activities easier ⁽¹⁰⁴⁾ and facilitate more positive experiences, such as the development of supportive adult-youth relationships. ⁽¹⁰⁶⁾ Moreover, delivering clear rules and expectations is important for managing youth’s maladaptive behavior in schools ⁽¹⁰⁷⁾ and for communicating appropriate consequences to misbehavior. ⁽¹⁰⁵⁾ Lastly, it’s vital for youth program staff to be aware of the way they communicate messages. Expectations and directions should be presented in a respectful, power-balancing manner. Messages that suggest youth program staff’s superiority and incompetency of the youth should be avoided. ⁽⁹⁷⁾