*
Get Back In My Face:
“There’s a question that gets asked by parents a lot. “Why doesn’t Future STRONG offer online classes?” The truth is, not yet, hopefully, never.
Wherever we see these days, our society seems to be built in a way to isolate. Our workplace culture, masked with the pretense of efficiency, has us working over phones from homes with people, whom we might never meet in our lifetime, across multiple continents. Our children would rather have a chat or a Snap, or be left alone with their Disney Plus, than getting out and interacting with their friends face-to-face. But, if the trends are to be believed, we’re experiencing a mass craving for in-person interactions.”
This is what I had written on our social media channels at the end of 2019 as we were getting ready to open our second office, a physical location.
Little did I know that I would be teaching on Zoom across 20 different countries in 2021 after the pandemic hit. Wow, what a difference a year can make.
*
The Art Of Communication:
We are living in times when technology has become a means for self-expression. Most Millennials and GenZ are seeking jobs as content generators to satisfy this urge to express themselves. They want to work for companies that are conscious of the content they produce.
But, we’re seeing a shift in how we communicate. Our communication is becoming linear and linear by the day. We equip ourselves with smileys and emojis and are more creative with our messages than ever before. But our messages have no tone, none of our intended emotion and our intended nonverbal cues.
For example, we only interpret a friend’s casual words as YELLING BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW THAT SHE HAD THE CAPS LOCK ON ACCIDENTALLY. Just imagine, typing LOL is not just not as fun as hearing it ring in your ears for real.
As a result of only exchanging verbal communication, our emotions are not perceived and processed correctly by the receiver. While we continue to communicate this way, we only engage our right brain which is logical and literal. We leave emotion behind, because our brains don’t see the need to read nonverbal cues in a text message or a Facebook message.
*
The Seeds For Social Connection:
There’s no one who’s put it better than Sherry Turkle, who famously pointed out how we’re rubber necking with our phones than enjoying a meal together at restaurants and homes. “I see a historic trend to introduce more friction, to slow us down, to look up and talk to each other and to appreciate what only we as humans can give each other. The trend for the next decade: the embrace of what we don’t share with machines. Empathy. Vulnerability. The human-specific joy of the friction-filled life.”
“I’ll tell you one that we’re finding less and less inside the firm that I think is an important skill set is an ability to write.
How you communicate with other people, how you interact with other people, how you express yourself will have a huge impact on your success. There is a real emphasis when people are interviewing around academics and I.Q. but, I think it’s way overweighed.”
“There should be equal emphasis on E.Q. and how you interact with people, how you relate to people, and how you connect with people. And even in a world where more and more machines and technology are disrupting the way we do business and the way we all connect, a lot of the value is still created through human interaction and the ability to motivate people or get people to move in a direction with you.”
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who moonlights as DJ D-Sol, spoke these words at a college career fair in 2019 about the hardest skills to hire for today.
*
Off The Screen And Onto The Scene:
What’s missing the most from our lives right now is someone to have a dialogue with. Our social connections affect our motivation and our capacity to learn. Connection gives meaning, it fuels our purpose. Of course, the pandemic is making it difficult to gather enmasse, but we must prepare to get on the ground to become social once again in the real world. This pandemic too shall end :-)
For children, research has shown again and again, to thrive cognitively, socially and emotionally – they need to be experiencing environments charged up with connection and communication.
Let’s get them OFF THE SCREEN and ONTO THE SCENE. Good news will follow.
* * *
About The Article Author:
Our mission with FutureSTRONG Academy – to grow children who respect themselves, their time and their capabilities in a world where distractions are just a click or a swipe away.
I see myself as an advocate for bringing social, emotional and character development to families, schools and communities. I never want to let this idea out of my sight – Our children are not just GPAs. I’m a Writer and a Certified Master Coach in NLP and CBT. Until 2017, I was also a Big Data Scientist. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel. Namasté.
Write to me or call me. Tell me what support from me looks like.
Rachana Nadella-Somayajula,
Program Director & Essential Life Skills Coach for Kids and Busy Parents
COMMUNICATION - A Pillar of FutureSTRONG Academy
Our children will one day face the real world without our support. Academic development is not the only skill they will need in the real world where people skills like taking the lead, emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass will determine who will shine. So, as parents who want to raise well rounded adults, we want to give them the right tools for their personal development.
Here is COMMUNICATION as described as the 6 C’s of Future STRONG.
Find Below Better Strategies On COMMUNICATION
Students Come With A Lot Of Learning Barriers. Greeting Them At The Door Helps.
* Priming For A Day Of Learning: Many children might enter the classroom with a variety of learning barriers. Some children come hungry, some after facing a tough morning with their bickering parents and some without any supporting resources or caring adults...
The Future Of Information, Knowledge Workers And The Workspace
* Understanding Information And Knowledge: Knowledge is becoming cheaper and less important. In the near future, nobody will hire us because of what we know. We will be hired for our abilities to think, create and solve problems with what we know. So, in this...
Top 4 Social Media Fails That Lead Employees To Get Canned From Companies
* * Want To Listen To The Article Instead? * Cited Works: https://sba.thehartford.com/managing-employees/employees-getting-canned-over-social-media/ * The Future Of Work And The Role Of Non-Cognitive Skills: Read more...
Cyberbullying And Digital Drama Are A Part Of Our Kids Life Now. Find Out What’s Going On.
* What's Going On? Children, tweens, and teens—unfortunately—have always had to deal with bullying and drama. We did, our parents did, our grandparents did…and so on. Traditional in-person bullying and drama still exists. But our youth today also have to...
Words Matter. Things To Say To Your Children And Teens To Connect With Them Deeply.
* 66 Positive Things To Say: * How To Connect With Your Child: Here are a few actionable tips that will help you to connect first and then impose later: Always listen first: Begin every day with a genuine interest in listening to their...
Protect Your And Your Family’s Precious Attention Currency Now. Use These Simple Rules For Creating Tech Harmony At Home.
* Steps To Tech Harmony: 1. At the very basic, you will need tech free times and zones in your house. That will make you feel empowered and feel like you're in charge of your life.2. Next educate yourself and your children on the drawbacks of too much tech time...
How To Be A Brilliant, Inspiring Public Speaker Who Can Move People To Act
* When Delivering a Speech: Always: INFORMEDUCATEand ENTERTAIN Be: EMOTIONALNOVEL For Verbal Delivery, Modulate Your: RATEVOLUMEPITCHPAUSES * Find your voice and inspire others to do likewise. To find your...
The Importance Of Verbal, Non-Verbal & Written COMMUNICATION Skills In The Digital Age
Our children will one day face the real world without our support. Academic development is not the only skill they will need in the real world where people skills like taking the lead, emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass will determine who...
Let’s Teach Our Children Balance Tech, Civic Engagement And Navigating Change For A Sustainable Digital Future
Check Out Our Featured Videos!Check Out The Latest On Our Blog!Questions, just ask! Text or Call: 678.310.5025 | Email: info@futurestrongacademy.com Bringing a Group? Email us for a special price!
Coding With Robotics Online? Meet Our Awesome Robotics Teacher Rachana Nadella-Somayajula
* Create & Learn Features Rachana: Before joining Create & Learn Rachana was a data scientist for 14 years, working with different programming languages like Java, JavaScript, and Python. But 3 years ago, she quit her corporate job and made the...
Talking To Teens: Tips On Essential Communication For Parents Who Try To Keep It Real {Video}
* https://youtu.be/00dhknVJw48 * Want To Listen To The Article Instead? * Our Digital Landscape: An unchanging reality of our Digital Lives is that we're constantly iterating ourselves to keep up with the pace of Technological...
Lessons From Teaching Around The World: Real Learning Is Delight-Directed & Must Promote Autonomy {Video}
* https://youtu.be/mTTbekGKVdo * Want To Listen To The Article Instead? * My Children Are Doing Great At School. Why Do They Need Soft Skills? (Video) Watch it HERE. * * * Inside The Ideal 21st Century ClassroomQuestions,...
Kindness First. Mentoring Teens As They Make The Transition Into The Physical World. {Video}
* https://youtu.be/oZGa3Sgf54c * Want To Listen To The Article Instead? * The Problem With Our Generation – A Teen’s View Of The World * From self-driving cars to controlling the lights in your house through your phone,...
Activism Or Advocacy For Yourself. Here Are The Right Ways To #FindYourVoice
Our children will one day face the real world without our support. Academic development is not the only skill they will need in the real world where people skills like taking the lead, emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass will determine who will...
Many Predicaments In Life. Writing Poetry Cannot Be One.
Poetry “How do 1 see the big picture and hold the world’s pain, and at the same time see all of the bright edges of joy? I think that’s at the center of my question.” ~ Poet Ada Limón Questions, just ask! Text or Call: 678.310.5025 | Email:...
Driving Fast, Breaking Curfews, And Constantly Testing Our Boundaries. Teens Or Rebels? {Video}
* https://youtu.be/C-eP6A0ZCLg * Want To Listen To The Article Instead? * * * Future STRONG is a global initiative for personal growth. While you're guiding your children on a path to resilience, independence and...
Mom And The Pope On The Same Page? Well This Meme Made It Happen.
* I make lentils for lunch sometimes, and if you know Indian food, there's seasoning called Tadka (Hindi word) or Popu (Telugu word) that I add to it. It lends spice and flavor for the dish. And this meme is a "tribute" from my 12 year old ;-) * ...
The Real Cost Of Our Tech Usage In The Midst Of A Cognitive Revolution
* We're in the midst of a cognitive revolution. We're being analyzed by Big Data, our communication is becoming linear, and the machines we’ve built with our spectacular Science, Math and Engineering skills are now helping us learn. But machines have still not...
Questions, just ask!
Text or Call: 678.310.5025 | Email: info@futurestrongacademy.com
Bringing a Group? Email us for a special price!