People in the fitness industry like to say if you “don’t use it, you lose it.” We need to flex our muscles or we grow weak. It’s no different when it comes to our social skills. For kids this is especially true. They are only just beginning to develop the skills to interact with others face-to-face and on the phone. But if most of their communication happens through texts and social media, they aren’t practicing life skills that will help them feel more comfortable interacting with people in a variety of settings and situations.
Luckily, we have plenty of fantastic, fun-to-read resources at our disposal that can help all of us grow stronger in how we connect with the world. Here are a few to check out:
A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
The Distraction Addiction: Getting the Information You Need and the Communication You Want, Without Enraging Your Family, Annoying Your Colleagues, and Destroying Your Soul by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World by Christa Melnyk Hines
Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids by Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D.
The Power of Curiosity: How to Have Real Conversations that Create Collaboration, Innovation and Understanding by Kathy Taberner and Kirsten Siggins
Raising Can-Do Kids: Giving Children the Tools to Thrive in a Fast-Changing World by Richard Rende, Ph.D.
Books I plan to read:
Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time by Jamie C. Martin
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Do you have a book recommendation that would be a great addition to this list? Please tell me about it in the comments below!
No book recommendations but a comment on phone etiquette- when I returned to the corporate world I could not believe how rarely the phone rang- even external people did most contacting through email. And I also saw a tendency to do much fewer face to face meetings as people wanted speed of interaction. It took some adjusting to- and in some places I pushed back as the old fashioned ways sometimes are more efficient 🙂