In order to provide you with the best possible experience on the LifeSkills website we use cookies and similar technology to collect data from your device and browser while you are here. Collecting this data helps us to personalise content for you, understand how you use the website, allow access to social media features and deliver personalised service and advert message content. You can find out more in our Cookie Policy. Please select ‘Accept all’ to consent to us collecting your data in this way. To see other data collection options, select ‘Manage data preferences’.
The types of similar technologies used in this website fall into one of four categories - Strictly Necessary, Performance, Functionality & Profile and Targeting. You can find out more information in our Cookie Policy.
Please indicate the categories you wish to consent to by selecting ‘Manage data preferences’ and using the sliders below and then click “Save preferences” to retain your preferences for future visits. You can change these preferences at any time by clicking Cookie Policy on our website.
For learners from school through to university and beyond
What stage are you at?
For people like teachers, youth group leaders, mentors, local authorities, charities, job centre staff, and parents or carers
Work with a group or a class
Coach an adult
Tools, tips and activities to help your family
Resources for educators
Age range
Time to complete
Download the full lesson plan pack including all related resources
Curriculum tags
Helping young people develop effective communication skills is key both while they remain in education, and in the future workplace. The activities on this page allow you to support the topic, whether you’re looking for something quick, something independent or a full length, curriculum-linked lesson plan.
How will these activities improve your student’s communication skills?
These activities look at some of the different communication styles such as reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication. If using the full length lesson plan, students will put their listening and speaking skills into practise with a storytelling task. Additionally, the lesson includes a focus on communication beyond the classroom, how it transfers between school and work, and even different kinds of job role, as well as why it is key to being successful in the workplace.
(60 - 90 minutes)
This lesson helps students to explore different types of communication and how to effectively adapt their communication style.
Lesson learning outcomes
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
How can you use this to help your students understand why communication is important?
It gets students to reflect on their own communication methods as well as the consequences of poor communication, or a complete lack of communication and not listening to what is being communicated to them. It also asks students to think about the types of job roles it is important to have good communication skills for.
(10 minutes)
In partnership with education charity The Talent Foundry, we have created a Communication skills overview film as part of a suite of Facebook live films. The film can be used as a lesson starter before delivering the full lesson plan, to introduce students to the importance of strong communication skills and how they can practise these skills in their everyday life.
(35 minutes)
Please note that students below the age of 14 cannot sign up for their own LifeSkills account. Any independent tasks must be printed or downloaded and provided digitally for them to complete as they are currently hosted on educator pages.
The Top tips for communication interactive worksheet will help students develop their active listening skills and shows them how they can become an effective communicator. The worksheet can be printed or completed digitally, so can be used flexibly to build your students’ listening and speaking skills. You might choose to assign it:
Follow these activities with further communication skills lessons for this age group, which cover 'Communication and digital skills at work', 'Communicating digitally in the world of work' and 'Building a positive online reputation' Why not build communication as a focus in your students’ curriculum? Refer to our Content guide to find out how the LifeSkills lesson plan can be used in English and PSHE lessons.
Help us to continue creating relevant content for you by leaving some additional feedback.
Thank you for letting us know what you thought of .