Active Listening Skills (1-3 days)

The key skills required for supporting others is listening! Too often, we as supporters talk too much and don’t adequately listen to what people are saying. This can lead to highly oppressive practice and service users feeling marginalised and isolated. Poor listening leads to inaccurate assessments and misunderstandings and impacts on a range of other skills e.g. recording
This introductory course aims to provide awareness of effective active listening skills so that service users feel valued and the service provided becomes more effective and Person Centred.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course participants should understand:

• What is meant by the term “active listening”
• Why we need to ‘listen’ to people
• What is feels like not to be listened to
• The short and longer term impact of not being listened to
• What is meant by ‘empowerment’
• How listening acts as an empowerment agent
• How listening is one of the major tools available to social care workers
• How the quality of listening impacts on a range of other issues such as record keeping, key working, support
  planning, reviews etc
• The difference between Counselling and Active Listening
• The limitations of the support worker's role
• When to refer on to a ‘professional listener’
• The different types of professionals e.g. counsellor, therapist, life skills coach etc
• The limits of confidentiality
• Common barriers to effective engagement
• How to overcome these barriers
• The use of non-verbal communication. How we use our faces and bodies to communicate messages
• How non-verbal signals can be misinterpreted
• How non-verbal signals have different meanings within different cultures
• The use of Paraverbals
• How questions can get in the way of effective communication
• The appropriate use of questions
• The use of prompts
• What is meant by a ‘Person Centred’ approach to listening
• The key elements of Person Centred listening
• How to use simple reflective listening skills
• How to demonstrate empathy and respect
• Paraphrasing and summarising
• The use of questions in aiding problem solving

Learning methods:

• Tutor presentations
• Small group work
• Word shower method
• Simulation exercises
• Listening exercises
• Feedback
• Video presentation
• Talk and chalk
• OHP/PowerPoint presentation
• Handouts

CP51/4.9