Michelle Skeen - Communication skills for teens: how to listen, express & connect for success

I cant think of a teen, or even an adult, who wouldnt benefit from reading this book. Teens will appreciate the enjoyable flow as well as the relevance of the information and voice. Page by page, easily absorbed concepts increase social intelligence while simply presented tips and strategies increase communication skills. Before I knew it, I was completely through the book and communicating more effectively myself, with more awareness and depth of presence. Yes!

Lucie Hemmen, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, author of Parenting a Teen Girl and The Teen Girls Survival Guide, and mother of two teen girls

Communication Skills for Teens is brimming with tools for success. Do you know how to express your needs without stepping on toes or cheating yourself? How to handle hidden agendas? How to get past your jitters and break the ice with new people? This book answers these questions and so many more. It is more than a practical book for teens; its a great communication book for anyone. It will be required reading for my young daughteras soon as Im done with it!

Shawn T. Smith, PsyD, author of The Users Guide to the Human Mind

Communication Skills for Teens provides practical skills that you can use right away to listen and speak more clearly, more effectively, and with less chance of unnecessary hurt feelings and misunderstandings. The real-life teen examples will illustrate how you can use these skills in your everyday life to develop stronger and happier relationships with your friends, peers, parents, and adults.

Dzung X. Vo, MD, author of The Mindful Teen

Michelle and Kelly have made the guide for interpersonal effectiveness. As a therapist, I will be recommending this book to teens, parents, and adults. Their tone is genuine, the stories are real, and the tools are invaluable. In todays digital world, communicating can be difficult. This book gives you the tools to feel secure in any interaction you faceonline or in person.

EmilyRoberts, MA, LPC, psychotherapist and author of Express Yourself

This is the missing manual so many of us wish wed had in our confusing, turbulent teenage years. Even as an adult, I walked away with more effective communication skills for myself as well as my teen clients.

ChristopherWillard, PsyD, author of Childs Mind and Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School

In a world that has evolved into a culture of disengagement, its refreshing to see such a thoughtful tool that both teaches and encourages teens to authentically connect with one another. The Communication Skills for Teens workbook offers excellent, relatable activities to help teens learn the art and skill of sound communication.

Julia V. Taylor, MA, author of The Body Image Workbook for Teens, Salvaging Sisterhood, and Perfectly You, and coauthor of G.I.R.L.S. (Girls in Real Life Situations) and The Bullying Workbook for Teens

A great resource for parents and professionals wanting to understand and help teens to communicate. The addition of a teen as a coauthor provides a unique and down-to-earth reflection on key communication styles. [Communication Skills for Teens] goes beyond active listening to provide a comprehensive range of communication patterns and situations. [The book] explains step by step the different ways we communicate our feelings, needs, and beliefs, and then provides exercises to help young people practice the skills.

Louise Hayes, PhD, clinical psychologist, academic, and coauthor of The Thriving Adolescent and Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens

Learning healthy and effective communication skills at an early age is one of the best tools for creating success in life. This book is the perfect guide for teens. The authors wise advice can be implemented immediately. I highly recommend Communication Skills for Teens, not only for adolescents, but for their parents and teachers as well.

Alan C. Fox, author of the New York Times bestseller People Tools, People Tools for Business, and People Tools for Love and Relationships

Communication Skills for Teens is an invaluable and solid resource for helping teens navigate through life by teaching them the fundamentals of effective communication. Many of todays teens heavily rely on social networking and social media outlets as a means to connect and express themselves. These electronic devices will never replace the value of face-to-face interactions. Communication Skills for Teens provides a wealth of information to help teens master the art of in-person communication. This is a book that every teen would benefit from reading!

Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS, LPC, counselor, author of The Anger Workbook for Teens, and coauthor of The Bullying Workbook for Teens and The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls

Communication Skills for Teens is an excellent book for helping teens learn how to cooperate with others and build friendship and love. Practitioners will find the book to be a useful adjunct to therapy, especially when helping teens who have social phobia or other socially based problems.

JosephCiarrochi, professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at Australian Catholic University, and coauthor of The Thriving Adolescent

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2016 by Michelle Skeen, Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning,

and Kelly Skeen

Instant Help Books

An Imprint of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Amy Shoup

Acquired by Tesilya Hanauer

Edited by Jasmine Star

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Skeen, Michelle, author.

Communication skills for teens : how to listen, express, and connect for success / Michelle Skeen, Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, and Kelly Skeen.

pages cm. -- (The instant help solutions series)

ISBN 978-1-62625-263-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62625-264-6 (pdf e-book) ISBN 978-1-62625-265-3 (epub) 1. Interpersonal communication in adolescence--Juvenile literature. 2. Interpersonal communication--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

BF724.3.I55S54 2016

155.5136--dc23

2015028415

My sons Eric and Jake

Michelle

My daughter Bekah

Matt

My son Michael

Patrick

My Daddio

Kelly

This book would not have been possible without Matt McKay and Patrick Fanning. These two remarkable men co-founded New Harbinger over forty years ago. They have written dozens of books over the years, but never a teen book. Their book Messages was the inspiration for this one, so I wanted them on board for the project. To that end, I decided on a classic wine-and-dine strategy. I had them over for dinner to pitch the book idea. Unfortunately, my culinary skills were seriously impaired, so that aspect of the evening was a fail, but we did have fun decorating gingerbread houses. And, they said yes to coauthoring their first teen book. Thank you, Matt and Pat!