New Friends Everyday at Little Loudspeakers Academy

 “Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.”

―Baltasar Gracian

Little Loudspeakers Academy is the perfect place to make new friends. All of our courses begin with getting to know our students. Walk into any of our lessons and you will notice that our students and teachers create a zone of safety and comfort with each other.

Icebreakers and community building activities are an everyday part of our lessons. Without this important component public speaking becomes a herculean task.

When our students make friends with each other, they develop more confidence to speak in front of each other. They are more willing to take risks. They become fearless. Students are more at ease about making mistakes.

Once the students make friends, it not only enriches the lives, it gives them a morale boost and improves their self-esteem. These friends can also be their moral support when giving a speech or another performance task. As an experienced educator, I cannot overemphasize the importance of developing a successful peer- to- peer relationship.

At Little Loudspeakers Academy, we will also work with your child to develop their social skills. We understand that it is not easy for everyone to make friends. But when it comes to friendship you don’t need many. One or two healthy and successful friendships can be all that you need.

Here are a few tips from Little Loudspeakers Academy to make new friends:

1. Overcoming your own fear or anxiety around acceptance- Typically, what stops us from approaching a new person or from starting a conversation with someone is our fear of not being liked. What if they don’t like us or find us interesting? The more we think about it, the scarier it gets. What we often label as shyness is this same fear.

Good news is that most people have these fears. In some people this is more acute than others. And almost everyone is busy trying to manage his or her own fears and anxieties to notice you. While you are trying to impress them they are trying to impress you. So, when you feel that fear come up, take comfort in the fact that the person that you are trying to make friends with is probably in the same boat as you.

“Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”

― C. S. Lewis

2. Take baby steps- Try connecting with an acquaintance or invite a friend form school to spend some time with you. Your classmates at school, or at Little Loudspeakers are perfect to try your hand at making a friend. Start a conversation with them about things that you have in common. You will get some time in our classes to get know more about your classmates. So talk to a classmate with whom you share an interest.

3. Initiate the conversation- It is better that you strike up a conversation, than wait around for other people to come talk to you. Try taking that baby step. Once you break the ice, it will get easier from there to make a good connection

4. Keep an open-mind- Be sure to avoid the trap of judging someone. People come in many shapes and forms. And often times as they grow, many things about them might change. By staying open- minded you can allow them to be themselves around you and they will appreciate that about you.

5. Be yourself- You are innately wonderful and interesting! Allow people to see you as you are and let them enjoy being with you.

6. Be there for them- A good friend is one who is always there for their friends. So be there for each other without expecting anything in return. Friendship is not about how many times who did what. It is about being supportive.

7. Practice, practice, practice- As with all things practice makes perfect. Practice being a good friend at home with your family. You family can help you rehearse conversation ideas and starters. They can help you spend time with your friends and give you other great tips. Talk to your family members about your efforts. They can be your best guides and support in making new friends.

Hope that you will try making friends with Little Loudspeakers Academy! Please don’t forget to post your comments!

– Prof. Anju Vriksha