Looking for a way for your high school student to develop authoritative leadership skills?  Enroll him in a high quality public speaking course.  The skills learned there will stand him in good stead for a lifetime.  To locate courses, check local community colleges, clubs such as Toastmasters, and online.  Once you have located several potential classes, compare them to select the best.  Things to look for are a qualified instructor, a good curriculum, and results.

Qualifications of the instructor can include a degree in communications or extensive experience in broadcast media, public relations, or another field requiring public speaking.  Sometimes a background in stage gives a good preparation for teaching public speaking.  If possible, listen to several of the instructor’s … Read the rest of this post…

Even very young children can become good listeners with a simple classical music exercise.  A crucial aspect to improve listening skills is the self-discipline to be still and quiet.  By giving children a few minutes of quiet music time each day and rewarding them for how still they are, you can improve their ability in this area, which will improve listening skills on other occasions as well.

Select some classical music pieces that are varied and interesting, but very short (less than 45 seconds).  Seat the child comfortably and explain that this is music listening time.  Talk to the child ahead of time about the music.  If it will start out slow, then gets fast, mention that.  If it tells … Read the rest of this post…

All good public speaking courses do much more than just teach techniques for voice projection or memorization of outlines and notes.  From a good public speaking course, one also learns how to reach an audience, build rapport, convey ideas clearly – all of which are very important leadership and team building skills.  A good public speaking course builds overall confidence and ability for any student or professional.

For a high school or college student, perhaps no single course could have more of an impact on future education and job prospects.  Through the ability to communicate clearly and dynamically, the individual is set up to excel in interviews, in class and on the job.  Building rapport with an audience, creating … Read the rest of this post…