Developed in partnership with Education Services Australia

As your child become more independent, it’s important to step back and allow your child to speak for themselves with other people. If you observe how they communicate, you can then help them (later) to become aware of:

• when they might need to use different language – eg an inforrmal yeah vs a formal yes
• what words might be unfamiliar to or misunderstood by the other person
  
  I'm not sure that the neighbour knows what 'faceplant' means. Why don't you teach him, he loves learning new slang!
• how their body language affects their communication
  
  If you want to persuade someone, try to stand more upright. A slouching person seems unconfident and tentative.
• how effective their voice is (boys with changing voices can find this a challenge, as can laid back teenagers)
  
  I can see it's frustrating when people ask you to repeat yourself. When you speak with just a little more energy, your voice carries much better, so you only have to say things once. 
• what to do when someone can’t hear them, or misunderstands them
  
  If grandma misunderstands you but it's not important, it's fine to smile and ignore it. If it is important, get eye contact so that she pays close attention, then speak a bit more clearly, and try to use slightly different words.