When listening to their parents talk, kids don’t just pay attention to the words they hear. They also pay attention to the tone and body language their parents use. Because of this, the same words can sound quite different to kids depending on how they are spoken.
Shirin Galili, mom of three and former teacher, recently shared a video on Instagram in which she demonstrated the importance of tone and body language when talking to kids.
Galili showcased three situations that most parents encounter and need to communicate with their kids. This includes telling her child to “get in the car,” to “use calm and kind words” when upset, and to warn them that they said they’ll “clean up their mess.”
In each of the situations, Galili first communicates with her child by raising her voice and using strict body language before repeating the same words in a playful and gentler manner.
Watching the video, it becomes clear which type of tone and body language is more suitable and likely to get a response from kids.
“Kids only absorb about 7% of our words. The other 93% of what kids are absorbing is our tone of voice (38%) and our body language (55%). It’s not just about using the “right scripts”. For true effectiveness, it needs to be the right combination,” Galili shared in the caption of the video that already got close to two million views.