Tock's Loud and Clear Book
Know your message. Listen well. Say it so it lands.
What is communication?
Communication means getting an idea from your head into someone else's, and getting theirs into yours. It uses words, pictures, faces, hands and plenty of listening.
You can have the best idea in the world, but if you can't explain it, nobody can use it. Good communicators aren't the loudest people in the room. They're the ones everybody understands.
AI can write a neat sentence in a second. It doesn't know who you're talking to, what they already know or how they feel today. You do.
How this book works
Every chapter has the same four parts.
- Read it. One big idea, with pictures.
- Try it. An activity you play right here on the screen.
- Away from the screen. A game for paper, pencils and friends.
- Quick check. Three questions. Get them all right to earn a star.
There are 9 stars to collect. Got a question wrong? No problem. Read the hint and have another go. That's how thinkers learn.
Choose a chapter
Chapter 1 · Communication skill one
Know your message
Before you speak or write, ask yourself one thing: what is the main thing I want them to know?
If you can't say it in one sentence, you aren't ready yet. Lots of messages get lost because the speaker starts talking before they know where they're going.
Put the main message first. Then add the details that help. "Soccer is cancelled today. The oval is flooded, so bring your sneakers for the hall" works better than a long story that ends with the news.
Read each note. Which sentence is the main message?
Away from the screen: one-sentence news
You need: a partner
Tell a partner about your weekend in exactly one sentence. They say it back in their own words. Did they get the main thing? Swap over. Then try it with a book you have read.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 2 · Communication skill two
Know your audience
The same message needs different words for different people. You wouldn't explain a game to your grandma the way you'd explain it to your best friend.
Think about three things. What do they already know? What do they care about? And how do they like to be spoken to?
The message is the same: the school fair is on Saturday. Who was each version written for?
Away from the screen: explain it three ways
You need: something you know well, such as a game or a hobby
Explain your favourite game three times: to a five-year-old, to your teacher and to a visitor from another country who has never seen it. What did you change each time?
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 3 · Communication skill three
Listen first
Half of communication is listening, and it's the half most people skip.
Hearing is easy. Your ears do it by themselves. Listening is harder: you have to stop thinking about what you'll say next and pay attention to the other person.
The strongest step is say it back. "So you're saying the bus was late and that's why you missed it?" If you got it wrong, they can fix it straight away.
Is each person really listening, or just waiting for their turn to talk?
Away from the screen: the two-minute listen
You need: a partner and a timer
Your partner talks for two minutes about something they love. You may not speak at all. Then say back the three main things you heard. Your partner gives you a score out of three. Swap over.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 4 · Communication skill four
Ask good questions
When you don't understand, asking isn't a weakness. It's what good communicators do.
A vague "I don't get it" doesn't help much. A clarifying question points at the exact part that is fuzzy, so the other person knows what to explain.
Questions help the speaker too. They find out which part of their message wasn't clear.
Something isn't clear. Which question would clear it up fastest?
Away from the screen: twenty questions
You need: two or more players
One player thinks of an object. The others have twenty yes-or-no questions to find it. Afterwards, talk about which questions helped the most. Were they big, sorting questions or lucky guesses?
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 5 · Communication skill five
Say it in order
A message can have all the right pieces and still confuse people if the pieces are in the wrong order.
When you explain how to do something, go step by step. Use order words: first, next, then, after that, finally. They work like signposts on a road.
In maths: ordinal numbers
First, second, third and fourth are called ordinal numbers. They tell you the position of something in an order. Number your steps 1, 2, 3 and people can say, "I'm stuck on step 2."
One step has fallen out of each set of instructions. Which step is missing?
Away from the screen: the robot sandwich
You need: a partner, bread, a spread and a butter knife (or just pretend)
Write instructions for making a sandwich. Your partner is a robot who does exactly what you say and nothing more. Did you forget "open the jar"? Fix your steps and try again.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 6 · Communication skill six
Show it
Some things are hard to say and easy to show. A quick drawing can do the work of a hundred words.
Pick the picture that fits your message. Numbers you want to compare belong in a graph. A place belongs on a map. The parts of something belong in a labelled diagram. Things that happened in order belong on a timeline.
In maths: pictures of numbers
"Sales were 12, 30, 18 and 25" is hard to picture. Put the same four numbers in a bar graph and you can see the winner at a glance. Graphs are communication tools.
You have something to explain. Which kind of picture would show it best?
Away from the screen: back-to-back drawing
You need: a partner, two pencils and paper
Sit back to back. One person draws a simple picture made of shapes, then describes it using only words. The other draws what they hear. Compare the two pictures. Then try again, and this time the listener may ask questions.
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 7 · Communication skill seven
Mind your tone
It isn't only what you say. It's how you say it. The same words can sound kind, bossy, bored or excited.
When you talk, your voice, face and body send messages too. Try saying "nice shoes" in a friendly voice, then in a mean one. Same two words, opposite meanings.
In a written message there is no face and no voice, so tone is easy to get wrong. "Fine." can look angry even when you're happy. Add a few friendly words and read it back before you send it.
You need to say something tricky. Which way is both clear and kind?
Away from the screen: one sentence, five ways
You need: two or more people
Take the sentence "I can't believe you did that." Take turns saying it five ways: amazed, angry, proud, worried, joking. Can the others guess the feeling? What changed: your voice, your face or your hands?
Quick checkEarn your star
Chapter 8 · Communication skill eight
Speak up
Your ideas and needs matter. Speaking up means saying them out loud, calmly and clearly, without being pushy.
There are three ways to say what you need. Too quiet: you hint, mumble or say nothing. Too pushy: you shout, blame or demand. Just right: you say it calmly and respect the other person.
Speaking up is also for good news and good ideas. Put your hand up. Share the answer you're only half sure about. Tell someone their work was great.
Someone pushed in front of you in the line. Sort each reply.
Away from the screen: the thirty-second talk
You need: a timer and an audience of one or more
Choose a topic you know well. Stand up, look at your audience and talk for exactly thirty seconds: main message first, then two details. Ask for one "I liked…" and one "next time…". Try it again tomorrow.
Quick checkEarn your star
The last chapter · Put it all together
The big message
You now have all eight communication skills. Here they are, with the question each one asks.
| Skill | Ask yourself |
|---|---|
| Know your message | What is the main thing? |
| Know your audience | Who am I talking to? |
| Listen first | Could I say back what they said? |
| Ask good questions | Which part isn't clear yet? |
| Say it in order | What comes first, next and last? |
| Show it | Would a picture say it better? |
| Mind your tone | How will this sound to them? |
| Speak up | What do I need to say? |
Before you go, show what you know. Answer all ten questions to earn your last star and your certificate.
Final testTen questions, every skill
Certificate of Clear Communication
This certificate is proudly given to
for learning to listen, explain, show and speak up clearly and kindly.
Look it up
Word bank
Every big word in this book, in plain language.
- Active listening
- Listening with your full attention and showing that you heard.
- Assertive
- Saying what you think or need in a calm, clear way.
- Audience
- The people you are speaking or writing to.
- Clarify
- To make something clearer by asking or explaining.
- Communicate
- To share ideas, information or feelings with someone else.
- Diagram
- A simple drawing that explains something.
- Message
- The main thing you want someone to understand.
- Ordinal number
- A number that shows position, such as first, second or third.
- Sequence
- The order that things go in.
- Timeline
- A line that shows events in the order they happened.
- Tone
- The feeling in how you say or write something.
Parents, carers and teachers
Notes for grown-ups
Communication is among the skills employers and educators most often name as essential, and it grows through practice with real audiences more than through instruction.
The book treats listening as half of the skill, and treats speaking up as something calm, not loud. Quiet children often find Chapters 3, 4 and 6 are strengths they didn't know they had. The "robot sandwich" and "back-to-back drawing" activities work well with a whole class.
How to use the book
- One chapter per sitting. Each takes about 15 to 25 minutes, plus the off-screen activity.
- Ages 7 to 8 will get more from it with someone reading alongside. Ages 9 to 12 can usually work alone.
- Chapters build on each other, so going in order works best.
- Wrong answers are part of it. Every quiz question explains itself and can be tried again.
- Stars are saved in this browser on this device. Clearing browser data may reset them.
What each chapter covers
| Chapter | Idea | Where it helps at school |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Know your message | Main idea, putting the point first | Writing topic sentences, summarising |
| 2. Know your audience | Adapting language to the listener | Writing for a purpose, presentations |
| 3. Listen first | Active listening, paraphrasing | Group work, following instructions |
| 4. Ask good questions | Clarifying questions | Science inquiry, maths problem solving |
| 5. Say it in order | Sequencing, ordinal numbers | Procedure writing, explaining maths working |
| 6. Show it | Graphs, maps, diagrams and timelines | Data displays, science reports, history |
| 7. Mind your tone | Tone, body language, writing online | Digital citizenship, drama, wellbeing |
| 8. Speak up | Assertiveness, "I" messages | Class discussion, resolving conflict |