ABSTRACT
Teachers often undervalue themselves as professionals and fail to realise just how wide a set of skills they possess. If you want to develop your career in education beyond the classroom, or even change to something completely different, it can be useful to reflect on just how many generic and transferable teaching skills you have:
Communicating to groups
Communicating effectively to a group of individuals is central to the teacher’s role. It’s a skill that teachers tend to take for granted and yet it is a highly sophisticated and complex form of communication. Whether you are new to the classroom and focusing solely on your own class, or a deputy head liaising with groups of colleagues, parents and governors, you will constantly be developing your ability to speak with clarity, use your voice to add meaning to what you are saying and project your personality to capture your audience. Even the apparently simple skill of scanning the group so that everyone falls within your gaze is not to be taken for granted. Try watching a hesitant or inexperienced speaker in action, and you will discover just how many communication tricks and techniques you use – without even being aware of them.
