If you’re someone who often communicates with older students, be it those who are enrolled in your classes at a community college or people in a senior living community that you teach skills to, working with older students will often require you to develop different communication skills so that the information that you’re trying to convey will actually be received successfully.
To help you learn a few different ways that this can be done, here are three tips for better communication with older students.
Keep Your Tone In Check
So much of communication happens around the words that you say. While most people know about non-verbal communication that can be conveyed through the way your body might be moving or how you’re positioning yourself to those you’re speaking to, the tone of the words that you say can also have a big impact on how well you’re able to communicate, especially with an older demographic.
While older students may not catch every word you say or understand some of the jargon that you may find yourself using every now and then, they can easily understand your tone in the way you speak with them. So even if you’re feeling frustrated or can’t comprehend the trouble they’re having with something, it’s vital that you keep your tone in check in order to keep good communication happening and help them remain receptive.
Be A Better Listener
A huge part of communicating with anyone is how good of a listener you are, even when you’re the one who’s trying to teach someone something.
For many people, when they’re well versed in something, it can be hard to bring themselves back to a time where they were learning this thing from the beginning. So as you’re working with your older students, it’s imperative that you take the time to listen to their questions and concerns so that you can know where they’re struggling and how you can better cater your teaching to their needs.
Know That Clear Communication Can Take Time
Not everyone has the same communication style. Especially if you’re trying to communicate across generational divides, it can be hard to get on the same page. So as you’re attempting to teach your older students something, make sure you’re being patient and understanding that clear communication can take time to make happen. The harder you work at it and the more you build on the relationships that you have with each individual student, the better you’ll become at communicating with them and the quicker you’ll be able to get your point across to them in the future.
If you want to get better at communicating with your older students, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this successfully.