$69.00 USD

99% rating - reviews

0.3  ASHA CEUs

Communication Techniques That Work: Build Rapport, Connect And Motivate #e282


Presenter: Adina Soclof, MS, CCC-SLP

Learn strategies for reducing frustration and encouraging cooperation in the classroom, during therapy sessions, and in the home environment.


"The presenter was great - she was funny and had great personal anecdotes to add to her topics. I was engaged and interested throughout the whole presentation. There were so many resources for quick references that I am excited to use."

– S.R., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

This course teaches communication skills for use with young clients and for parents to use with their own children. Professionals and parents can benefit from enhancing their repertoire of communication techniques to improve the quality of relationships with families and children who have communication skills deficits. The competent use of language can increase young clients’ self-esteem, motivate them to learn, engage their willing cooperation, defuse power struggles, and teach conflict resolution skills.

Learn effective and practical communication and conversational skills to use in the classroom, in one-on-one situations, and at home with children and their families. Strategies are presented for managing children’s negative feelings, reducing frustration, encouraging cooperation, improving motivation, and building self-esteem. Using these strategies, participants will be better prepared to manage difficult conversations, creating a more peaceful work or home life.

Offered for 0.3 ASHA CEUs – 3 contact hours.

Course Overview – Run Time: 3:00:20

  1. Introduction: Managing Children’s Negative Feelings.
  2. Describe Barriers to Effective Communication.
  3. Identify Six Skills for Responding to Children To Reduce Frustration and Power Struggles.
  4. Identify Causes of Behavioral Issues.
  5. Identify 10 Techniques That Engage Children’s Cooperation.
  6. Improving Motivation and Self-Esteem in Children.
  7. Discriminate Between Evaluative and Descriptive Praise.
  8. Understanding the Issues with the Self-Esteem Movement.
  9. Learn 3 Techniques To Increase a Child’s Motivation To Learn.

Online SLP CEUs

"I loved the information and how practical it was. I can start implementing it right away!"

– E.S., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

The content of this online CE course does not focus exclusively on any specific proprietary product or service. Presenter financial and non-financial disclosures may be found in the Presenter & Disclosures area.

Video PowerPoint presentation with author narration & downloadable handout. Stop and re-start the course at any point. Learners retain access to course content after completion for ongoing reference and review.

Reviews

"Positive statements to utilize during sessions. The course was very positive in nature." T.T. (Feb. 2024)

"This course had good examples and lots of practical application." C.S. (Jan. 2024)

"It was beneficial learning additional empathetic responses and differentiating between evaluative praise and descriptive praise. The examples (visuals) were very helpful. Well organized, easy to follow." M.L. (Dec. 2023)

"Discussing ways to engage children in cooperation and communication techniques that are effective were beneficial. I liked the 6 empathy skills." L.E. (Dec. 2023)

"Ways to deliver descriptive praise instead of evaluative praise were helpful. I liked the many examples the presenter gave to illustrate concepts." R.P. (Dec. 2023)

"The suggestions on how to build empathy I found to be most beneficial for teachers/therapists working with all children. Acknowledging a student's feelings is critical in all relationships. I believe all people can use the concepts promoted in this course as they interact & communicate with others. We all need to acknowledge other's emotional responses/behaviors and demonstrate empathy when effectively communicating with others." C.F. (Nov. 2023)

"Learning how to communicate more effectively with children and diffuse meltdowns by mirroring or reflecting their feelings with the use of empathy (as opposed to denying their feelings), the importance of giving people eye contact and full attention (really listening), evaluative praise versus descriptive praise, and how to give negative behaviors positive labels were all beneficial. I enjoyed all of the concrete examples." A.C. (Nov. 2023)

"All of this was beneficial. I loved the variety of ways and phrasing to provide praise and correct behavior. Loved having a video of the speaker in addition to slides. When there is a video of the speaker, I am much more engaged and focused." A.M. (Nov. 2023)

"I liked the discussion of using positive words and finding ways to compliment the student." C.M. (Nov. 2023)

"The entire course was very interesting. Most beneficial for me was related to how to achieve listening and cooperation during therapy activities." R.P. (Oct. 2023)

"This course was practical. I liked the organized list of ways to encourage cooperation during sessions." P.H. (Sep. 2023)

"The topic on dealing with the emotions of clients, especially those who are non-verbal, was beneficial. I liked the therapy ideas I can incorporate into my lessons i.e. color stations. Also how to encourage improved understanding and listening skills." R.F. (Jul. 2023)

"I liked the speaker's style of presenting the information. Managing negative feelings was a beneficial topic." C.C. (Jul. 2023)

"Learning different kinds of praises was beneficial. Love descriptive praise." M.R. (Jun. 2023)

"The entire course was excellent. I found the section on evaluative vs descriptive praise and ways to reframe behavior with a positive word to be very beneficial. We often quickly go to "good job" as therapists and there are better ways." D.B. (May 2023)

"This course was very engaging. The examples were excellent and really helped me to process the information." D.B. (May 2023)

"I loved learning about evaluative versus descriptive praise. I often give evaluative praise reflexively (I think that our society uses this a lot because we are taught that this is how we should 'be nice' to others!) However, I noticed that this praise does make kids feel uncomfortable and I wanted a good alternative for that." C.P. (May 2023)

"I liked a lot about this course. The information was helpful and applicable within various situations. The pacing was great! I also enjoyed the anecdotal components to help connect the lessons to interpersonal relationships." C.P. (May 2023)

"Learning the importance of ensuring that our communication with children is neutral and non-confrontational. I enjoyed learning about effective communication techniques such as describing the problem, giving information, giving choices, using “I” statements, using “when/then” instead of “if/then,” and using gentle persuasion. I liked how the presenter explained every topic, and she provided excellent information in an easy-to-understand way." L.R. (May 2023)

"I especially liked the emphasis on empathy as a starting point for behavior management. Secondarily, I liked the notion of seeing all behaviors in a positive light. The list of positive labels to use for talking about children was excellent - I now have it posted over my desk for my own reference, and I plan to share it with teachers, other therapists, and parents." D.D. (Mar. 2023)

"The presenter was easy to listen to. What I found most helpful was evaluative vs descriptive praise, which will be a game-changer in my future therapy sessions. Thank you!!" E.M. (Feb. 2023)

"All of the information was presented in an organized manner. I liked the organization and examples." S.A. (Feb. 2023)

"Learning evaluative vs. descriptive praise. This course had useful and practical information with good examples of how to implement strategies." M.L. (Jan. 2023)

"Learning how to teach empathic language to parents was beneficial." M.D. (Jan. 2023)

"I liked the list of positive labels for everyday behaviors. It was obvious that the lecturer has been in the field. She used both her past students' and her own children's behaviors as examples." C.D. (Dec. 2022)

"Engaging speaker. Learning distinction between evaluative praise and descriptive praise was beneficial." K.F. (Dec. 2022)

"I thought all of the examples were very helpful for making the material useful immediately in the therapy setting. Replacing negative descriptors for positive descriptors of a child's less desirable behavior is a very helpful strategy." A.C. (Dec. 2022)

"Course was well organized and relatable. Turning a negative attribute into something positive." S.C. (Dec. 2022)

"The strategies and examples were great. This course was informative." K.S. (Dec. 2022)

"Presenter went through alternative language suggestions for when we interact with children. I liked the suggestions to help parents deal with their child's behavior." M.G. (Dec. 2022)

"This course gave lots of information about addressing children with empathy. It was a great reminder of how to best meet the needs of the diverse group of students that I see for therapy." M.C. (Dec. 2022)

"I liked the presenter's delivery - very conversational. And learning the different types of praises." J.N. (Dec. 2022)

"Learning how evaluative praise leads to creating dependency on approval by others. Good tips for better ways to positively label negative behaviors." L.L. (Nov. 2022)

"The presenter was very organized and it was obvious that she loves her work." L.R. (Nov. 2022)

"Thinking about the way we speak to the child differently. Learning to help the parent feel successful with their child." D.J. (Oct. 2022)

"Most beneficial was the session on how to engage the client's cooperation. I appreciated the many examples as well as the clear, concise bullet points in the handout." M.W. (Oct. 2022)

"The speaker was upbeat and passionate!" T.H. (Oct. 2022)

"Good topics of conversation and consideration with us SLPs who work with pediatric individuals who may have negative behaviors." K.S. (Oct. 2022)

"The speaker was very engaging." S.D. (Oct. 2022)

"Lots of info, easily processed." M.F. (Oct. 2022)

"I would recommend this course to my colleagues." A.D. (Sept. 2022)

"I love the idea of finding a positive label for a negative attribute. The presenter was great - she was funny and had great personal anecdotes to add to her topics. I was engaged and interested throughout the whole presentation. There were so many resources for quick references that I am excited to use." S.R. (Aug. 2022)

"The entire presentation was helpful, especially the portion about showing and using empathy in our words and actions because I know how it feels when my loved ones talk to me without empathy and what that feels like (not very good) and don't want my students to feel that way. I'm guilty of using some of those negative phrases myself, thinking that I'm saving time and getting directly at the problem, yet what I was doing was actually making the problem worse. Yikes!" E.P. (Aug. 2022)

"Liked the ease of learning at a time and place that is convenient for me." E.P. (Aug. 2022)

"I liked how it relates to children's behavior. The empathetic responses and communication techniques are helpful. Words are so powerful!" R.F. (July 2022) 

"I loved the information and how practical it was. I can start implementing it right away!" E.S. (July 2022)

"Course had lots of good examples – empathy and setting limits." J.M. (June 2022)

"I would recommend this course because it will benefit my practice on a daily basis. The flow and format were excellent." V.M. (June 2022)

"The specific examples as well as illustrative examples will be very helpful to my practice. She was an engaging speaker with well organized information." G.R. (May 2022)

"Course access was convenient. Learning the use of enforceable statements with kids and "When/then" vs "If/then." A.V. (Apr. 2022)

"This course gave practical ways to manage children's behaviors and understand their feelings." J.D. (Apr. 2022)

"The examples of the denial of feelings were very specific and effective, as well as the section containing "negative behavior has a message". I think this is very important to consider especially in our roles as SLPs and during sessions when we are trying to manage behavior. The presenter was obviously very knowledgeable and extremely passionate about the topic, and it showed in her presentation! She was able to easily give examples and she was an engaging presenter. I thought the presentation was easy to follow, nonjudgmental, and effective." D.L. (Apr. 2022)

Course Objectives

  1. Identify barriers to effective communication.
  2. Identify six skills for responding empathically to children’s negative feelings.
  3. List techniques to help parents reduce their child’s frustration and manage meltdowns.
  4. Describe causes of behavioral issues that impede cooperation.
  5. Contrast between evaluative praise and descriptive praise.

Presenter & Disclosures

Adina Soclof, MS, CCC-SLPis a Parent Educator, Professional Development Instructor and Speech-Language Pathologist working with children in a school setting. She received her B.A. in history from Queens College and her M.S. in communication sciences from Hunter College. Adina is the founder of ParentingSimply.com. She delivers parenting classes as well as professional development workshops for Speech-Language Pathologists, teachers and other health professionals. Adina is available for speaking engagements. You can reach her at asoclof@parentingsimply.com or check out her website at www.parentingsimply.com.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Adina Soclof is the presenter of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Nonfinancial — Adina Soclof has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Intended Audience / Accreditation

asha ce approved provider

This program is offered for 0.3 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area).

Intended Audience

  • Speech-Language Pathologists

ASHA CEUs: NSS online courses are registered with ASHA and are offered for ASHA CEUs. The number of ASHA CEUs is noted above. Note that 0.1 ASHA CEU = 1 contact hour = equals 1 CEE.

ASHA CE Registry: During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

ASHA CEUs: Attendees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to be eligible to earn ASHA CEUs:

  • Current ASHA Member.
  • ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) Holder.
  • Licensed by a state or provincial regulatory agency to practice speech-language pathology (SLP) or audiology.
  • Credentialed by a state regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
  • Credentialed by a national regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
  • Engaged in a Clinical Fellowship under the supervision of an individual with their ASHA CCC.
  • Currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in SLP or audiology.

If an attendee is not an ASHA member or CCC holder but meets any of the above criteria, they may inform the ASHA CE Registry of their eligibility by visiting this site.

Licensing Boards: Most state licensing boards DO accept CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some state boards do, however, place a limit to the number of credits that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any credit limits related to home-study courses prior to registering for this course.

Additional accrediting agencies by which Northern Speech is an approved CE provider:

  • California: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board. Provider #PDP4. Online CEU limits may apply; please contact SLPAHADB for current online CEU acceptance policies.
  • Iowa: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Iowa Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology Examiners. Provider #169.
  • Kansas: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Provider #LTS-S0005.
  • Florida: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Florida Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board. Provider #SPA-026.
  • New Jersey: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the New Jersey Department of Education. Provider #1654.

Frequently Asked Questions



Customer Support: Please phone 888.337.3866 or email info@northernspeech.com.

Course Completion Timeframe:

You have unlimited time to complete our online courses. You may log off and log on as often as you’d like to in order to complete all sections of a course.

However, completion dates are based on Eastern Standard Time. Therefore, if you need your CEUs by a certain date, be sure to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on that date. For example, if you need CEUs before January 1st, you will need to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Content Access:

Access to course materials and content does not expire, even after completing the post test. You may continue to review course material by logging into your NSS account, clicking the My Online Courses tab, and then viewing your desired course.

Certificate of Completion:

On successful completion of the post test (80%), a certificate will be immediately available for download and/or printing. This certificate will include your name, date of completion (based on Eastern Time Zone, USA/Canada), and number of contact hours (CEUs / CEEs). Please note that CEUs are awarded on the date of successful test completion, not the date of course enrollment. Please ensure that you successfully complete the post test prior to any licensure renewal dates.

ASHA CE Registry Submission:

During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

Purchase Orders:

Purchase orders are currently not accepted for online orders, if you wish to submit a purchase order please do so at info@northernspeech.com or fax to 888-696-9655.

What is an Online Course?

Our Online Courses consist of video, audio, and/or text content and are offered for ASHA CEUs. Unlike a webinar, which requires participants to be logged on and at a computer at specific times, our Online Courses are available to you at any time, from any device, via your NorthernSpeech.com online account. You may work at your own pace and start and stop your course as you wish. Your course will conclude with a short post test. On successful completion of the post test (>80%), a printable certificate of completion is presented to you.

Receiving CEUs:

Northern Speech is an ASHA CE Provider and our online courses are registered with ASHA and offered for ASHA CEUs. Please note that successful completion of the online post test is required prior to the awarding of CEUs. Please contact your state licensing board for acceptance policies related to CEUs earned online. Please note that courses offered for university students are not applicable for CEUs.

Registering for an online course:

You may browse all online courses by clicking the Continuing Education tab above, then Online Courses. Once you find a course, click Enroll Now, and you will be asked to either log into your existing Northern Speech account or create a new online account. Once you’ve entered your account information and provided your credit card payment, your course will be immediately available to you.

Accessing your purchased course or returning to a purchased course:

You will be able to access your online course by logging into your Northern Speech account and then clicking the My Online Courses tab on your profile screen. Click the course you would like to start or to resume. From there, proceed through the course sections until you are ready to complete the post test. You do not have to complete your course all at once. You may log on and off as you wish.

Testing requirements:

Each online course concludes with a post test consisting of multiple choice or true & false questions. Scores of 80% or greater are required for successful course completion and awarding of CEUs. You may revisit course materials and retest as needed to achieve a passing score.

Number of CEUs offered:

We offer courses from 1 to 21 contact hours. Each course will note the number of CEUs offered. Please note that 0.1 CEU = 1 contact hour = 1 CEE.

State licensing boards and online CEUs:

NSS is an ASHA CE Provider and most state licensing boards DO accept ASHA CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some boards do, however, place a limit to the number of CEUs that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any CEU limits related to home-study courses prior to enrolling in an online course.

Course formats:

Our course formats include: text, audio, video, and PowerPoint with author narration. Each course will note the format on the course description page. Most courses include closed captioning.

Course handouts:

Most of our online courses provide a link to download the accompanying handout as a PDF file. 

Group discounts:

Groups of 3 or more are eligible for a 20% discount on each registration on most of our online courses. To receive this discount, registrations need to be processed together via the "Group Rates" tab on the Online Course of your choice.

Computer requirements:

For our online courses to function best, we recommend that you update your computer to include the newest version of your Internet browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.) and newest version of your computer's operating system. Also a high-speed Internet connection is recommended (cable or DSL). Speakers or headphones will be required for many of our courses as many contain audio components.

Course Cancellation Policy:

A purchased online course can be exchanged, refunded, or transferred to another individual if contact is made with NSS (via phone or email) within 30 days of purchase and the course materials have not been viewed or downloaded. 

Special Needs:

Please click here for any special needs requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. 

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