Finding their Superhero Powers: The Power of Confidence in Young Speakers
Before I begin, I better introduce myself! Hello, my name is Rebecca and I am the newly appointed Head of Finding Voices London, and online drama teacher here at Finding Voices. While Jude is cosy in the newborn bubble, I thought I’d take a second to let you all know about something that I’m super passionate about - kids with confidence.
When I first joined Finding Voices, one of the first things that Jude explained to me was that our aim is to make sure that no student of ours is ever described or describes themselves as ‘shy’. Let’s take the name Betty, for example. Betty is tall, Betty is blonde, Betty has got freckles and Betty is shy. Betty’s shyness is not a personality trait, it isn’t something permanent, it can be changed. Children and adults may feel shy one day but that doesn’t mean they won’t be brave the next. That shyness can also be nurtured and developed until it becomes less ‘shy’ and more ‘outgoing’.
Especially in times like right now, you may be thinking that your child has missed out on a lot of time at school to socialise, improve their communication skills and “find their superhero powers”. What can you do from home to help?
My first top tip is encouragement. No matter what, in all of my Speaking Works classes, I make sure that every child feels encouraged to take part. If you can sense some fear, that’s okay - we can try again next week. When trying new things, especially things that test their confidence, like public speaking, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way.
Allow your child the space to take risks. In class, we make sure the space is safe and encouraging enough that if a child wants to read aloud, perform their piece or attempt to improvise a scene, they can go for it!
All it takes is a little time and some individualised support from us here at Finding Voices until we can find your child’s inner confidence. The benefits once we do? Endless!
Confidence while speaking publicly is a life-long skill! Once we activate your child’s confidence they will:
Feel happy speaking in front of their class, or even performing for a LAMDA exam.
Be able to use tools such as facial expression, varying tones and pitch to express their emotions
Be far more resilient later in life when it comes to difficult work or social situations which require speaking in front of others.
There is nothing more rewarding than hearing a child, after working alongside them to find their superhero confidence, recite their favourite poem, or take part in a duologue scene with another student. Confidence is essential from an early age. Confidence is power!