Many young adults feel insecure in their ability to engage and exchange ideas and are often flummoxed by messages they did not mean to send. Therapist [Michelle] Skeen, professor Matthew McKay, mental health writer Patrick Fanning, and college student Kelly Skeen offer older teens a targeted version of their everyday text messages, which covers such skills as assertiveness, active listening, and compassion. … An inside look into where and why, when it comes to conversing, young people encounter difficulty. Recommended for high schoolers through adult.” —Library Journal
“I can’t think of a teen, or even an adult, who wouldn’t benefit from reading this book. Teens will appreciate the enjoyable flow as well as the relevance of the information and voice. Page by page, easily absorbed concepts increase social intelligence while simply presented tips and strategies increase communication skills. Before I knew it, I was completely through the book and communicating more effectively myself, with more awareness and depth of presence. Yes!” —Lucie Hemmen, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, author of Parenting a Teen Girl and The Teen Girl’s Survival Guide, and mother of two teen girls
“Communication Skills for Teens is brimming with tools for success. Do you know how to express your needs without stepping on toes or cheating yourself? How to handle hidden agendas? How to get past your jitters and break the ice with new people? This book answers these questions and so many more. It is more than a practical book for teens; it’s a great communication book for anyone. It will be required reading for my young daughter—as soon as I’m done with it!”—Shawn T. Smith, PsyD, author of The User’s Guide to the Human Mind
“Communication Skills for Teens provides practical skills that you can use right away to listen and speak more clearly, more effectively, and with less chance of unnecessary hurt feelings and misunderstandings. The real-life teen examples will illustrate how you can use these skills in your everyday life to develop stronger and happier relationships with your friends, peers, parents, and adults.”—Dzung X. Vo, MD, author of The Mindful Teen
“Michelle and Kelly have made the guide for interpersonal effectiveness. As a therapist, I will be recommending this book to teens, parents, and adults. Their tone is genuine, the stories are real, and the tools are invaluable. In today’s digital world, communicating can be difficult. This book gives you the tools to feel secure in any interaction you face—online or in person.” —Emily Roberts, MA, LPC, psychotherapist and author of Express Yourself
“This is the missing manual so many of us wish we’d had in our confusing, turbulent teenage years. Even as an adult, I walked away with more effective communication skills for myself as well as my teen clients.” —Christopher Willard, PsyD, author of Child’s Mind and Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School
“In a world that has evolved into a culture of disengagement, it’s refreshing to see such a thoughtful tool that both teaches and encourages teens to authentically connect with one another. The Communication Skills for Teens workbook offers excellent, relatable activities to help teens learn the art and skill of sound communication.”—Julia V. Taylor, MA, author of The Body Image Workbook for Teens, Salvaging Sisterhood, and Perfectly You, and coauthor of G.I.R.L.S. (Girls in Real Life Situations) and The Bullying Workbook for Teens
“A great resource for parents and professionals wanting to understand and help teens to communicate. The addition of a teen as a coauthor provides a unique and down-to-earth reflection on key communication styles. [Communication Skills for Teens] goes beyond active listening to provide a comprehensive range of communication patterns and situations. [The book] explains step by step the different ways we communicate our feelings, needs, and beliefs, and then provides exercises to help young people practice the skills.”—Louise Hayes, PhD, clinical psychologist, academic, and coauthor of The Thriving Adolescent and Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens
02/15/2016
Parents have long lamented how difficult it can be to communicate with their teenager, but consider that teens, too, struggle with communication, and not just with Mom and Dad. With social media now the primary means for connecting with one's peers, face-to-face conversation skills are becoming less used and thus less refined among digital natives. As a result, many young adults feel insecure in their ability to engage and exchange ideas and are often flummoxed by messages they did not mean to send. Therapist Skeen, professor Matthew McKay, mental health writer Patrick Fanning, and college student Kelly Skeen offer older teens a targeted version of their everyday text messages, which covers such skills as assertiveness, active listening, and compassion. VERDICT Kelly Skeen plays a prominent role in this title, providing an inside look into where and why, when it comes to conversing, young people encounter difficulty. Recommended for high schoolers through adult.
02/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—A communications toolkit for teens, most of whom have grown up with technology and may be in need of some life lessons on the importance of face-to-face communication. Interspersed throughout are helpful tips and stories from Kelly Skeen, the teenage daughter of author Michelle Skeen. The writers lay out simple steps, highlighting the significance of listening to others, learning to express thoughts and feelings clearly, and understanding others' perspectives. The second half features tips for effectively communicating in different circumstances, such as academic, career, and sexual situations. Like other titles in this series, the book provides easy-to-follow exercises and will be most useful to those relying on it as a how-to manual. VERDICT A valuable option for improving communication skills, especially as a reference for counselors or teachers.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
