Communication Skills with

Friends & Family

When someone says ‘Sorry’

1. Look at the person who is saying ‘Sorry’.

2. Judge the person’s sincerity by facial expression, tone of voice & posture.

3. Listen to what he is saying to you.4. Try to understand his point of view. 5. Thank the person for explaining the

situation6. Thank the person for the apology. "I

understand what happened" or "I accept your apology."

When you want to disagree

1. Look pleasant - this takes effort on your part.

2. Actively listen to their point of view.3. Demonstrate your comprehension by

restating what they said.4. Share your point of view using polite

language. "I understand how you feel, but let me share how I see things.“

5. Give reasons why you disagree. Use specific facts.

6. You may agree to disagree.

When you want to ask a favour

1. Choose the right time and situation.2. Ask the person for permission to talk to

them, like “Dad, are you free to talk right now?”

3. Keep a happy or neutral tone. Not a sad one.4. Ask yourself if the request is reasonable.5. Start your request with language like

“Would you please..”6. Be prepared to accept a “NO” for an answer.7. Say “Thanks” whether or not your favour

was granted.

If someone teases you

1. Remain calm, but serious.2. Assertively ask the person to stop

teasing.3. If the teasing continues, move away.4. Ignore the teasing.5. If the teasing stops, thank the

person.6. If it does not stop, report the

situation to a grown-up / teacher / adult you trust.

When you want to refuse a request

1. Listen completely to the request.

2. State "I'm sorry.“3. Give a reason why you cannot do what

was asked of you.4. Say "I'm glad you asked me.“5. Offer to do something else or the same

thing at another time. “Ram, I can't play with you this evening because my brother is having a birthday party. Thanks for asking, though. Do you want to play together tomorrow?" 

When you want to interrupt

1. Is the other person available to interact with you? How important is it that you interrupt them?

2. Get within the other person’s view.3. Don't interrupt unless it's an

emergency.4. If you must interrupt, say "Excuse me.“5. When the person acknowledges you

and indicates it's all right to speak, start by saying "thank you.”

When you are being disciplined

1. Consider this an opportunity to show you can grow.

2. Listen carefully. Keep good eye contact.3. As hard as it may be, agree with the

person. (Arguing at this point will not work!)

4. If you can, think of your own ideas of ways you could improve. “Yes, I have been late. I will get a louder alarm clock so that I can get up on time.”

5. Be calm throughout the process. You can grumble about the unfairness you perceived with your friends later!

Handling Embarrassment

1. Find out the reason why you are feeling embarrassed.

2. Think if you can correct the problem.3. Use humour.4. Reflect on times past when you were

really embarrassed at the time, but later thought what happened was funny.

5. Ignore teasing.6. Remember: embarrassing moments

pass. 

THANK YOU