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Billions of people

There are over seven billion people in the world right now!

It is hard to imagine a number so large, so think of it this way – if you could somehow manage to say “Hi” to two of those people every second, it would still take you over 122 years to do it.

Luckily, you will never have to complete such an impossible task (let's hope so anyway). However, talking to people from lots of different backgrounds and cultures is something we do every day, whether that is at school, home, in your community or even on the internet.

Adapting as we grow

As you know, one of the earliest skills most people develop as children is the ability to communicate. We begin to express thoughts, feelings and needs using a mix of words and actions.

Usually, this is a very natural process and we learn by simply watching and copying our family and friends.

However, as we get older, we are faced with situations where we have to talk to a variety of people, in unfamiliar environments and for lots of different reasons.

Sometimes, this can be really easy and enjoyable. At other times, this can be a scary task. Especially if it is something new or out of the ordinary – have you ever had butterflies in your tummy before giving a presentation in front of the class?

Communication strategies

In the animation, we see the difference between how Cinders speaks to the pretend prince, Bill, her friends and then her pirate granny!

Speaking to someone, like a prince for example, in a formal way means we use our polite voice, with proper words and a clear tone.

Non-verbal strategies are also really important in this case, where your posture and facial expression can give the listener huge clues as to how you are feeling.

Yet, just like Joe when he says “What are youse up to?”, with our friends and people we know well, we can speak in a much less formal way. We might even use words and phrases that other people wouldn’t understand but are a sign of affection between us and them – “Don’t worry Peggy leggy, I’ll be there in a jiffy, before you can shiver my timbers or make me walk the plank.”

Where we are and how we’re feeling

How we speak can also be determined by the environment we are in.

We all know that Joe certainly shouldn’t be shouting in a library, but if he was at a football match, a loud voice like that would be perfect.

Changing the volume and tone of our voice can let others know how we’re feeling: happy or sad; serious or funny; bored or enthusiastic.

For most of us, talking and communicating with other people is a common, normally daily occurrence. There are a lot of things to consider though, depending on who we are speaking to and where.

Thankfully, like most things, the more opportunities we give ourselves to practise, the easier it is and the more confident we become!