Here are five tips I would
suggest to get your children involved in politics.
First have them listen to and watch and read
the platforms and voting habits of their senators, congressman and women and the political candidates and
talk to them about what they see and notice.
For example, recently children have seen
politician being bully’. If they are
young you can have them imagine a child on the playground saying those things and
acting in a particular manner and ask them how they would feel and what that
shows about the politicians. ( How would you feel? How would you feel if
someone said those things about you?) Watch the debates with your children and have
them count and point out the good strong comments and ideas and the attacks and
jabs. Have them express what they like and don’t like. Stop the recording
and talk about what you have seen and ask them their feeling and state yours!
Second, have them take public speaking and debate classes
and enter speech competitions. This will build their confidence and give them a
skills that will benefit them the rest of the their lives. The more they speak
the better they will be.
Have them take classes on interpersonal skills, logic, and
negotiations and teach them how to make friends,
form alliances, network, small talk, connect to others and be nice.
Teach them how to meet greet shake hands and make a stranger
feel at ease. I have conducted several years of research on first impressions
and greeting behavior this is also a set of skills that will serve them well.
Finally I suggest that you see if they would like to volunteer to work on a campaign or assist in the office
of a politician. I was a volunteer for a Florida state senator when I was in
grad school. I learned so much. One of the things I realized is that my senator
was only working three days a week and rarely was present for votes. That
guided me to look at voting records of candidates and be very aware of the work
ethic of the people I voted for!
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
