Leadership in Interpersonal Communication

Figure 1: Dora the Explorer

Hola Kids! It's me, Dora the Explorer (Figure 1) and I am going to talk to you about Leadership in Interpersonal Communication and how YOU can become a leader just like me! Leadership involves motivation and that is why I am here to motivate you, follow me as I lead the way! Come on, vámonos!

Interpersonal Communication

To start off, you may be asking yourself what is Interpersonal Communication? To give an overview, it is the way of communicating with others through verbal, non-verbal or by just simply listening. It is something every one of you do in school and it helps to build relationships with your peers or your teachers. To be a good communicator, it would be best to learn strategies that will help you master your communication skills. For example, when you are talking with a friend, you want them to understand what you are saying so they can reply quickly and easily. We all communicate with each other every day, so day by day our communication gets better. I communicate with you guys through the TV and ask questions that are helpful for me and my adventure. I have to be a good communicator to talk to my friends like Boots or Backpack who are the best helpers for me! 

Figure 2: My helper friend Backpack

What is Leadership?

Leadership means something different to everyone, but to me leadership means to influence people and do the right thing for myself and others. This is a way to achieve your goals successfully. Having a vision is another important key factor, you should know where you are going and how you are going to get there. For me, I make it a goal every time I go on an adventure to reach the destination with some help from my friends. To the right of the screen (Figure 2) is Backpack, he is one of my best friends and he helps me along my journey. Whenever I have a question or need something, he answers. I like to take my friends with me so they can follow me on my adventure, you can do this too! I wouldn't be a leader without them as my followers, they help me reach my goal. Below I have some helpful ways for you to become a leader (1).

1.) Treat people how you want to be treated, being a leader does not mean that you are better than someone else.
2.) Asking rather than waiting for feedback is a great way to become a leader, it is a good way of receiving information that could be helpful for you. Learning from others helps to become an effective leader.
3.) Keep promises you know you will be able to keep, it is important as a leader to be trusted. Trust is important. 
4.) Take responsibility and own it. If you want to be a leader in a group or a team, you should provide direction for them to follow.
5.) Always listen, whether it be listening to your parents, friends or a teacher. It is important, you don't want to miss out on information!

Why should you be a leader?

Anyone can be a leader, it is a great quality to have. If you are looking for an opportunity to become a leader, enrolling in a summer camp will help you work on your team-building skills (2). All you have to do to be a leader is be an honest person, pave a path for others, be a good communicator and have respect for yourself and others. If you can do that, you will be a leader, it is as simple as that! Adiós!

References

Backpack gif (n.d.). GIPHY. Retrieved from: https://media.giphy.com/media/LbslRn7qWaOEU/giphy.gif

Dora the Explorer [photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://dora.wikia.com/wiki/Dora_Márquez 

Rampton, J. (2015, January 25). 15 tips for instilling leadership skills in children. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241619    

Sanborn, M. (2013, April 3). 5 ways to train yourself to be a great leader. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226265