YOCS 2020

This month, I had the opportunity to attend the 2020 Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) in Savannah, Georgia. It was fascinating to see people who share a passion for helping the environment, too! People from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center showed us unique ways to find and identify sea turtles using GPS. We also made bracelets using can tabs. I even learned about plants, their importance, and how to identify them! At the end, we created an action plan and thought of new ways to solve environmental issues.

The most influential activity for me was the communication workshop. Most researchers and scientists are fond of exploration and research, but often have difficulty sharing information with others. As one of my favorite authors, Chris Grabenstein, says, “Knowledge not shared remains unknown.” What good is gaining new substantial knowledge if you aren’t able to share it? Sometimes I have difficulty effectively communicating with others. If you’re like me, here are a few tips to actively listen and communicate with others.

1. When listening to others speak, be cognizant of your body language. It can be hard for some to speak to a group, so don’t play with something or talk to someone else while they are speaking. This tells the person you are not interested in what they are saying. Be attentive and look intrigued by their words.

2. When speaking to others, whether about a school project or just in conversation, know your audience. For example, if I am speaking to an adult, I would not speak the same way as I would with one of my friends. I would alter my vocabulary and sound more professional instead of making jokes. If you have to speak in front of an audience you don’t know well, ask a few questions to be sure you are establishing a full connection.

3. When speaking to a group, maintain eye contact and be confident. By looking into everyone’s eyes as you speak, you can be sure you are keeping them attentive and focused.

4. Most importantly, ask questions! Whether listening or presenting, it is important to ask questions. By asking questions while you are speaking, you can learn about your audience, keep them entertained, and make it less like a presentation and more like a conversation, allowing them to participate too. By asking questions while you are listening to someone else speak, you can make the presenter less nervous and allow yourself to learn even more!

Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you learned some ways to be a more effective communicator and listener!

**Also, May 1st is approaching fast, so contribute to Trash-for-Turtles (Plus) 2020 before it’s too late (check out my project post here)! Looking forward to an awesome turnout!**