Remember when you were little and you could not bring yourself to speak in public because you were shy? Well, your kids might be going through the same issue right now. You might have realized from experience that inability to express oneself in public is sometimes caused by low esteem and lack of confidence, and other times it’s just a case of not knowing what to say. Here are 5 ingenious tricks on how to help your kids speak confidently in public.
1. Develop Your Kids Speech and Ways of Expression
If a child cannot express himself properly with the correct speech, then speaking in public will be a problem. This is because of the fear of embarrassment. The best way to develop a child’s speech is by allowing them to speak freely to their toys. Studies have established that children who engage in conversations with toys master vocabularies and develop speech much faster. Of course, toys can’t speak back. Well, that is the idea actually – because kids are not afraid of toys and toys won’t criticize, scold, or mock them. Conversing with toys allows a child to build confidence progressively.
2. Speak to Your Child
Most children will start talking at 12 months. The child depends on what people around are saying to learn how to speak. In essence, you should start speaking to your child as soon as possible. Once your kid has mastered how to construct simple sentences, you should continue engaging him or her in conversations to boost their confidence. The important thing every parent should understand is that a child learns to speak from listening. If your child can speak well, then they should not have a problem when expressing themselves verbally in public.
3. Never Criticize Your Kid in Public
If a child makes a mistake and you criticize them in public, chances are that you’re killing their confidence. You know how embarrassing it can be to be corrected in public. The best thing to do is take the kid aside or wait until you get home before reprimanding them. If you make your kid feel stupid in public, they will be afraid of speaking in front of people.
4. Encourage Your Child
Having confidence in public is nurtured. This is an area that even adults find challenging. You definitely know how difficult it is to stand in front of a group of people and talk without feeling anxious and nervous. Professionals who train people in public speaking skills use encouragement to demonstrate to employees that there is no big deal getting out there and talking. You should do the same for your kids. First, you can start by allowing them to speak freely during family gatherings. Most preschools will also have forums for training children to speak in front of a group too.
5. Be a Good Example
If you expect your child to have good public speaking skills and yet you are shy to speak in public, then you have it all wrong. Learn to speak confidently in public and the kid will follow suit. Do not be afraid of seeking professional assistance. There are very many adults out there who can never gather enough courage to speak in public.
Expressing oneself in public is a demonstration of intelligence and high self-esteem. As a parent, you should do everything to help your kids speak confidently in public.