Top 5 confidence building skills to help shy teens

Being shy is not a negative trait, but it is an individual’s personality. Irrespective of the personality of teens, a part of their task as budding adults is to identify their strengths effectively and learn the tools that can help them grow. However, for shy individuals, growth opportunities can get limited due to their lack of confidence and communication skills. So, as a parent, you need to ensure that your kid has access to the necessary confidence building skills to boost their morale and grab any and every opportunity that comes their way.

How to Improve Teenage Self-confidence and Communication Skills?

Often, shy teens doubt their potential to prosper in a social setting. So, here are some useful tools that will work as confidence building skills:

1. Develop their brands

As a parent, take care of the fact that your kids write out positive descriptions about themselves. For example:

—-> I am a thoughtful and wise mathematics major.

—-> I am a helpful and compassionate future doctor.

—-> I am quiet but an intelligent gamer.

Besides, some fun and classic online personality tests can also help them develop their brands.

2. Use non-verbal tricks

Before they visit an event, being a parent, make them stand for nearly 15 seconds with their elbow out and hands on their hips. Prior to entering the main venue, make them pull their chin up and their shoulders back. Now, suggest they put up a smile. It is believed that this invitational non-verbal trick draws people.

3. Allot a job

Instruct your teens to find a job at an event. For instance, when they arrive at the event, let them scout the venue. Have them spot shy teens on the fringes. Then, tell them to introduce themselves to others and make them feel welcome by asking a question. Such acquaintances can help them gain new friends and create some goodwill.

To boost their confidence building skills, teach them the following general interest questions:

—-> Have you just joined the group?

—-> I have just joined the group, what about you?

In social gatherings where majorly adults are there, prepare them to shake hands with others. Note that due to COVID-19, regular handshake greetings are usually not as familiar as before.

4. Improve their listening skills

Often, shy teens think that being quiet in a social setting is undesirable. However, there is no truth to it. In fact, their quietness may denote that they are listening. Undoubtedly, listening is a great social skill.

So, suggest your kids to:

—-> Laugh or smile at funny stories or jokes

—-> Nod their heads occasionally in agreement

5. Teaching positive self-talk

Let your teens practice speaking to themselves. For instance, tell them to affirm powerful self-talk statements like “you can do this”.

Parting Thoughts

Rarely, natural shyness may become generalised anxiety or social phobia. In such cases, consult a counsellor for your teens. Both generalised anxiety and social phobia are treatable. Thus, there is nothing to worry about.

Therefore, parents can practice all these confidence building skills with their children and encourage them to practice such skills with relatives or close friends.

In this regard, the 21K Finishing School programme deserves special mention. This is an hour-long session filled with skill and activity-based learning. The aim here is to help kids to develop better computational thinking and overall communication and nurture their creativity and leadership qualities.