Communicating to inspire young people

In our society, we communicate in a huge variety of ways, from speaking to a friend or with family, to watching TV or listening to the radio, and reading or watching what we find on social media. The manner in which information is communicated to us can have a lasting impact.

Delivering an activity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects can be a rewarding experience for the person delivering it and, when done well, it can be an engaging experience for the young people. But how do you go about communicating with young people effectively? What are the features of effective communication? How do you deliver engaging activities?

On this course

In Week 1 you’ll look at verbal and non-verbal communication skills. In Week 2, we’ll look at presentation techniques and how to run a practical activity, before you go off and volunteer with young people.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication with young people
• Inspire young people to continue with STEM subjects and/or careers through the appropriate use of presentation, collaboration, and discussion techniques
• Build the confidence, skills, and ability to do practical activities with young people

Course authors

This course has been co-authored by Linda Scott and Zoe Chesher, West Midlands STEM Ambassador Hub. Linda and Zoe worked with STEM Ambassadors in their region to develop their volunteering skills.

STEM Learning resources

You can access a huge range of resources to support your volunteering. Some of these will be on the STEM Learning website and you can register for free access. If you are not based in the UK, you will need to register as ‘Other’ (not as a STEM Ambassador).

Get started

As you may be learning with different people than previous courses, so you can best support each other, please share in the comments below who you are, where you come from and what volunteering you are involved in.