Report on Communication Skills in Community Services for Children

This report explores the critical role of communication skills in community services, particularly when interacting with children. It identifies several barriers to effective communication, such as cognitive, fluency, language, speech, and voice issues. The report then outlines essential communication skills, including listening, empathy, summarizing, explaining, consultation, ethical considerations, and motivational techniques. It emphasizes the importance of enjoying interactions with children, attending to their needs, and maintaining concentration. Furthermore, the report discusses various resources like speech charts, play games, modeling, and role-playing, as well as different communication networks, including circle, wheel, Y pattern, and all-channel networks. The conclusion highlights the challenges and rewards of communicating with children and the importance of addressing their unique needs and potential impairments.

Running Head: Community Services
Community Services
Communication Skills with Children

Community Services
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................2
Barriers in Communication skills........................................................................................2
Communication skills required with Children.....................................................................2
Fundamentals of Communication.......................................................................................3
Resources and Networks used in Communication..............................................................4
Resources.....................................................................................................................................4
Networks......................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................4
References.........................................................................................................................6
1

Community Services
Introduction
Communication skills are a very significant part of any kind of conversation. Whether done
with the children, young people or elderly, it plays a very critical role while a person talks.
But particularly with the children it is a little trickier to communicate as their minds are very
fluctuating. There are a few things which are used in communicating with children and there
are some barriers as well. This report will cover them all (Unicef, 2011).
Barriers in Communication skills
 Cognitive Issues: Children might not have sufficient skills to think and that is known
as cognitive issues. These problems can be related to memory, perception,
imagination etc. It can be difficult to communicate with such kids.
 Fluency Problems: Fluency issues are when the child’s speech is interrupted a lot in
between his conversation. Children with such problems are generally very shy and
fearful to even talk. They hesitate a lot. This is the most common problem with
children aging from 2 to 6 years (Sharkey, Lloyd, & Tomlinson, 2014).
 Language Issues: The issue of language disability hampers a lot in the communication
skills used with children as it hampers the spoken and written flow.
 Speech Problems: These problems are also known as the articulation disorders. This
prevents all the kids with such issue in pronouncing the sounds correctly. This type of
issue mostly occurs in children who suffer from physical problems like hearing loss,
teeth issues etc.
 Voice Issues: When the voice of any child impacts the quality of his or her voice,
these are known as voice issues. This might include issues with nasality, hoarseness
or not apt volume like too high or too low. This is related to the phonation which can
bring concerns in the lungs of the children (Liebal, Carpentar, & Tomasello, 2013).
Communication skills required with Children
 Listening and Empathy: It is related to the establishment of the good relations with the
children and gaining their trust. It is about being aware of the children’s state of mind
as some children do not talk with voices but they act or show gestures. Understanding
2

Community Services
their cultures and respecting their family’s emotions. This will help in building the
rapport in front of the children.
 Summarising and Explaining: Providing the support to the children and their families.
Summarise the situations in the apt manner. To present the choices which are genuine
to the children and helping them choose one.
 Consultation: The child should be consulted at the beginning of the process. The
action should be shared with the students and the families. Listening is a well-known
skill that is needed when it comes to knowing the needs of the children as well as their
family members. Situation handling of when and how should be known.
 Ethical skills: All types of ethical standards should be known to the tutors while
communicating with the children.
 Motivational Skills: A person should know how to communicate with the children
(Gooden, 2013).
Fundamentals of Communication
 Enjoying being with children: Communication needs two people to communicate. The
person who communicates with the children should enjoy the communication and the
whole act in order to communicate with the children in a better way.
 Ability to attend another child: It is important to identify the requirements of the
children and then to take interest in them so as to attract the mind and brain of a child
in your act (Stone, 1997).
 Concentration and Attention: It is important to attract the children and keep them
engaged in some or the other activities so that they are able to concentrate on one
thing at a time as children’s minds are very fluctuating and they divert very easily.
 Exchange of Behaviour: The major fundamentals of communication is taking turns
with another person. Similarly, with children, it is important for the person to keep on
attending every child every now and then so that he or she relates to that one person.
This is helpful in building the trust.
 Cause and Effect: When it comes to young children, the over excitement can cause
the overstimulation unless the child can say that he or she requires a break. It is very
necessary to handle this minute but important situation.
Resources and Networks used in Communication
3

Community Services
Resources
 Speech Chart: This is one of the easiest thing to do when the child wants to learn
communication. There exists a document guide in which the learning method and
teaching method are written for the children of 6 years of age.
 Play Games: Game playing is loved by every child and this can help in physical,
imaginative and cognitive as well as social development too. Children will not even
realize that they are under a process of learning but actually they are.
 Good modelling can be a good resource. One can become a model and make a child
learn as children learn from listening and speaking by others.
 Role Play: Acting of others and doing the role play games will help the children too
(Reyhani, Razi, Nekah, & Yavari, 2015).
 Activities which are fun for the students and does not require speaking can also be a
good learning method for the students.
Networks
 Circle Network: Circle has none of the leaders. There is everyone as equal. Every
member of the circle will have the same authority and power.
 Wheel Network: This is the simple network. This is superior on simple tasks. The
leader is very clear in what is needed. The authority is that of a leader and if that
authority is accepted then only it is simple on every task (Kovacic, 2011).
 Y Pattern Network: It is kind of less than centralized network than the wheel is. Yet is
more centralized than others.
 All Channel Networks: It is a decentralized network and it is superior on simple tasks.
It can be slow because it is democratic. The leadership is not clear (Lunenburg, 2011).
Conclusion
This report focusses on the communication skills needed in order to communicate with the
children. Children are the most difficult yet fun to communicate with. They can be hesitant f
they are impaired with something as they are very innocent and flaky as well. Also, this
report discusses about the resources and the networks for communication with children and
also about the fundamentals and barriers of the communication process.
4

Community Services
References
Gooden, C. (2013). The Importance of Communication Skills in Young Children. Retrieved June 26,
2018, from
https://www.hdi.uky.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ResearchBrief_Summer2013.pdf
Kovacic, H. (2011). Communication structure and the performance of organisational teams.
Retrieved June 26, 2018, from https://www.dlib.si/stream/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-
AKESFNAB/a30b2d6d-375b-4253-bd14-50c875b2d0d0/PDF
Liebal, K., Carpentar, M., & Tomasello, M. (2013). Young children's understanding of markedness
in nonverbal communication*. Journal of Child Language, 38, 888-903.
Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Network Patterns and Analysis: Underused Sources to Improve
Communication Effectiveness. National Forum of Educational Administration and
Supervision Journal, 28(4).
Reyhani, T., Razi, M., Nekah, S. M., & Yavari, M. (2015). The Effect of Training on
Communication Skills of Child’s Nurse through Role-playing. Int J Pediatr, 3(2).
Sharkey, S., Lloyd, C., & Tomlinson, R. (2014). Communicating with disabled children when
inpatients: barriers and facilitators identified by parents and professionals in a
qualitative study. Health Expectations, 19, 738-750.
Stone, W. L. (1997). Nonverbal Communication in Twoand Three-Year-Old Children with Autism.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, 27(6).
Unicef. (2011). Communicating with Children. Retrieved June 26, 2018, from
https://www.unicef.org/cwc/files/CwC_Final_Nov-2011(1).pdf
5