Teenagers are a tough audience. They’re still young enough to be easily influenced by their peers, but old enough to have strong opinions and a desire to pursue their own paths. Since teens can be more emotional than adults, they need help communicating effectively with others—especially when they’re dealing with conflict at home or school. Here are five techniques you can use during those difficult conversations:

Listening

Listening is the most important part of communication. Listening attentively, with your eyes and ears, shows that you value what the other person has to say. When they’re speaking, ask questions to clarify what they mean and make sure you understand them. You can also paraphrase back what they’ve said in order to ensure that you both agree on its meaning. Don’t interrupt or finish their sentences for them!

Taking Turns

When you’re talking to someone, listen to what they have to say. Don’t interrupt them or talk over them. Give the other person time to respond and make sure you understand their point of view before continuing with your own thoughts and feelings. When having a conversation with someone, it’s best if you talk about one thing at a time instead of trying to cover multiple topics at once. This way, each topic can be thoroughly discussed without being cut off by another topic being brought up in between sentences (or even mid-word!).

Eye Contact

Making eye contact while speaking is an effective way to show your listener that you are engaged in their conversation. It’s important not to stare, but instead look at their eyes occasionally as they speak. Looking away occasionally shows interest and helps you focus on what they are saying. It’s also important not to make eye contact when angry or upset–you want your body language and facial expressions (if any) to reflect what you’re saying so that it comes across clearly!

Acknowledging feelings

Acknowledging feelings is important in communication. When you acknowledge your partner’s feelings, it shows them that you are listening and validating their experience. For example, if your teen says “I’m really angry about what happened today,” you could say something like: “I can see that this has made you very upset.” This is not the same as agreeing with them! It doesn’t mean that they were right or wrong or even justified in being angry; rather it acknowledges how they feel right now–and helps you understand their point of view better so that future conversations will go more smoothly.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It’s important for teenagers to understand this concept because empathy helps them develop their own sense of self-worth, which can be especially important during those awkward years when you’re trying to figure out who you are. A good way to show empathy is by repeating what the other person said, then adding “I can see that you feel…” For example: “You’re really upset about not being able to go out with your friends tonight.” Then add some clarification about why they feel this way: “It must be hard for you since all your friends are going out without inviting you.”

Being specific and honest

Another important communication technique for teenagers is being specific and honest. It’s important to be honest with yourself, as well as with others. This means that you need to know what you are feeling and why, so that you can communicate it effectively. For example: “I’m feeling angry because my parents won’t let me go out on Friday night.” Or “I’m feeling frustrated because the other kids at school aren’t making any effort to get along with each other.” The more specific we can get about our feelings and needs in any given situation, the more likely we are going to be able to resolve it effectively and efficiently–and this will save everyone involved time!

We hope you found this article helpful and informative. The most important thing to remember is that teenagers need more help communicating effectively than adults do. They’re still developing as people, so it’s important for parents to be patient with them when they make mistakes or don’t understand something right away. But it also means that adults should use these techniques whenever possible so they can help their kids learn how best to communicate with others around them!