7 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILL

Do you know how much time do you spend listening? It is estimated that half of our time is spent listening. Good listening is an essential part of active communication and makes us better managers, customers, coworkers, supervisors, parents and mates. Most of us aren't good listeners; however, listening is a skill that you can always improve.

1. Focus on the speaker and let them know you are listening by giving verbal cues such as, 'yes', ' I see' and non-verbal cues such as, nodding, leaning forward and smiling. Give the speaker your full attention
   
2. Make eye contact, look at the person you are speaking to or who is speaking to you. Looking in another direction or distracting glances appear as though you are not listening.
   
3. Avoid interrupting. It's rude and you cannot talk and listen at the same time. If you assume what people are going to say before they say it and then interrupt to respond to your assumptions, you will annoy the person you are talking with and you will miss the real message.
   
4. Ask questions and try to see the other person's point-of-view. Don't assume that you know what the person saying if things are not making sense for you. If you are unsure of the meaning ask for clarification and then if you are still not sure repeat it back to them.
   
5. Acknowledge the other person's feelings; make them feel like you understand and that it is okay to feel the way they do.
   
6. Be patient when you don't understand; getting upset won't solve any problems but will only create more.
   
7. Express your point-of-view and make a conscious choice about your response.

IMPROVE VOCABULARY AND SPELLING

Tips for Improving Your Child's Vocabulary and Spelling

Vocabulary and spelling are a very important part of your child's education. This article presents some activities to help a child improve vocabulary and spelling skills. Read on to learn more.

Throughout your child's academic experience, vocabulary and spelling will be a critical aspect. During elementary school, your child may have to compile vocabulary lists from assigned books or be asked to write sentences using assigned vocabulary words. Your child will probably have to take spelling tests. As your child progresses through middle school and onto high school, vocabulary and spelling becomes important when he or she has writing assignments. Here are ways to improve your child's vocabulary and spelling.

Increasing Your Child's Vocabulary

Here are tips from the Learning Resource Center, www.learningresourcecenter.net:

1. Ask 'Do you know what this means' when your child reads an unfamiliar word.
2. Talk to your child about many different things using new words.
3. Take your child to different places, then talk about what you see.
4. Explain everyday activities using the special vocabulary specifically associated with such activities.
5. Play games involving vocabulary, such as Scrabble, Boggle, Charades, and Crosswords. Ignore the rules on the game's box - keep a dictionary on hand for looking up new words before and during play.
6. Play word games everywhere, including naming and rhyming games.

Improving Your Child's Spelling

Often, students look at spelling as a tedious subject, which involves rewriting a single word numerous times or having to struggle to come up with sentences to suit a word. Spelling doesn't have to be uninteresting.
Here are activities from Child Development Institute, www.childdevelopmentinfo.com:

1. Talk with your child often. Good spellers need good verbal skills.
2. Let your child write stories about favorite subjects.
3. Help your child write letters to relatives or friends.
4. Help your child trace the words in a book or on a paper.
5. Use finger paints to write out words.
6. Play with magnetic letters on your refrigerator or another magnetic surface.