It all starts at home with good communication. Parents should always encourage their children to express themselves. Understanding the mental relationship between internally thinking an emotion and connecting it to external communication is an important part of building interpersonal skills. Here are four excellent strategies to sharpen that tool:

Talk about the various ways we communicate with one another.
In addition to vocal communication there are a variety of additional ways we can express ourselves. See if your kids can come up with different ways to express a feeling or emotion without using words. For example, nonverbal communication can be just as significant as spoken language. Make facial expressions with younger children and ask them to name the emotion they are interpreting or have them show you what an emotion looks like without using words. Non-verbal communication is more potent in many respects than verbal communication because non-verbal signs such as smiles are universal.

Encourage hobbies and interests.
When it comes to creating friends, having a common goal with the other person makes communication much easier. Encourage your children to join programs, activities, and clubs that interest them. By doing so they'll be interacting with people who are interested in the same things they are. From team sports to dance classes, sharing a common passion can substantially aid in the development of interpersonal skills in youngsters.

Support them at difficult moments.
It can be difficult for our children to communicate effectively when they are frustrated or upset. This is particularly true when there are conflicts or arguments with another person, such as a sibling. Encourage your children to express themselves using "I" statements and to explain why the situation bothers them. Teach your children that every story has two sides and that understanding another person's point of view can help us see things differently.

Instill empathy in them.
When we think about communication we generally think of how we express ourselves outwardly. Listening abilities are just as crucial. Encourage your children to exercise mindfulness when dealing with powerful emotions. Open-ended questions are a great approach to get youngsters to dive deeper into a topic. Understanding people is equally as important as being able to communicate yourself when it comes to building interpersonal skills.