Active listening lays the foundation for the development of effective communication skills based on respect and mutual cooperation. It involves a range of interpersonal skills that express your attention, empathy, and respect. It is about focusing and concentrating not only on what is being said but the accompanying emotions and feelings that are also being expressed; and provides a safe format for the individual to have their concerns heard and to receive feedback. The process can support people to develop their emotional vocabulary and to understand and manage their feelings. As well as supporting one-to-one approaches, active listening can be used in groups as a basis for establishing trust.
PROGRAMME 2012
Active Listening Skills for the Helping Professions A one day workshop (10am-4pm) for Therapists, Health Sector Workers, Educationalists, Volunteers - anyone who works closely with people. This must be booked by a commissioning client. Cost: £600 per day (Discounts available, depending on Client's ability to pay) Enquiries: please email Andrea Rippon Active Listening Skills workshops are ideal for anyone who wants to develop their listening and responding skills. They will give participants an opportunity to explore ways of saying what they have to say, responsibly, and in a caring, respectful and open way. By grounding my work in the theory of Carl Rogers' Person Centred Approach, we will have a solid foundation from which to reflect on and improve our practice. We will:
|
Please see the Open Access Counselling Skills/Theory courses where individuals can explore their use of active listening skills within a supportive group environment.
FEEDBACK
THERAPISTS
Counselling Skills (Active Listening) for Therapists (Counselling Skills) Client: Angela Sellens-Drake, Pathways School of Reflexology Jan 2011, Jan 2012
|
BUSINESS COMMUNITY
| It's all about Developing Relationships: The Person Centred Approach to Business Development 14th December, 2009; 1st March, 2010; 10th May, 2010 Client: Project Evolve, University of East Anglia The course left me feeling more confident about myself and less paranoid about the rest of the world. Well done! Very relevant course because I am a researcher and I think building relationships is not just about networking and gaining something but also giving, being open and being self reflective. I think that I will be much more confident to sit in interviews and to be able to demonstrate my skills in networking and building relationships by applying the knowledge that I gained from the course The best things was being trained by a professional who demonstrated knowledge and expertise but was also open to learn by listening carefully and acknowledging and appreciating our different points of views - I think this is an excellent approach! |
SCHOOLS
| Engaging Pupils in Personalised Learning: Active Listening and Responding Skills for Teachers Client: Surlingham Community Primary School Avenue Junior School, Norwich The focus on listening and how to listen was useful. Keeping my own experiences separate and being able to recognise the feelings of someone else was important to my learning. I will try to analyse situations less! Thank you for the useful pointers for dealing with situations. Objectives met well! It was good to have the opportunity to be more reflective. It is a far cry from normal INSET - the workshop offered real challenge. I found the course beneficial as new ideas/things to say could give a more positive result, than the present outcomes with certain children. Looking forward to trying them. It would be useful to do a follow-up session in school, having put these ideas into practice for a while, to establish benefits, discuss problems we might have had, or just to help maintain momentum. |
HEALTH
| Active Listening Skills for Telephone Volunteers (2 hrs) Client: NHS-UEA UEA-IFG Study, Norwich To be a successful mentor - listening is a vital skill. For a joint project between the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the UEA, individuals who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus have volunteered to support and encourage participants who are at risk of developing the condition and who have enrolled on a lifestyle intervention project. The primary outcome is the progression from IFG (impaired Fasting Glucose) to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The volunteers will provide support and encouragement to the participants over the telephone and it is predicted that with the extra support of these volunteers the risk of progressing to T2DM will be reduced. The skills of active listening are skills which we as human beings find very difficult as everybody loves to talk about themselves! Andrea's 2 hour session covered extremely important topics such as personal frame of reference, reflection, paraphrasing, summarising and clarifying, beginning and ending a conversation and most importantly role play practice of these skills. The evaluations of the session speak for themselves "It was an excellent session - I learnt a lot" "The subject matter was extremely relevant and covered in great detail and also thought provoking" "Andrea was professional, pleasant and interesting" "Role play is not my favourite in anticipation but today it was very specific to what we are going to do and was most helpful" Due to the relevance and success of the session I will be inviting Andrea back for refresher sessions with the volunteers. Nikki Murray, Type 2 Trainer Co-ordinator - Diabetes Prevention Facilitator (This project has received funding to continue its excellent work and Andrea will continue to teach the Active Listening Skills workshops in 2011-2012) |
HELPING PROFESSIONS
| Active Listening Skills Workshop: Can you hear the music behind the words? Client: BizFizz, Norwich Engaging and inclusive. Good mix of knowledge and application through participation. Very relevant to all aspects of business and home life. Steve Ferrey, Moco Corporate Development I have really learnt a lot, especially about myself. C Rowley, Sequah.com Lots of exercises so no time to get bored. Barry Dennis, Business Inspirer Your style is professional, relaxed and evokes a safe trusting environment in which to work. I loved the music! Anne Francis, BizFizz Coach |
FEEDBACK 2001-2008
| 2008 Active Listening Skills for Teaching Assistants Client: Avenue Junior School, Avenue Road, Norwich I
am most certainly a much improved active listener, more sensitive to
other people's needs and what a difference it has made to other parts
of my life! Alyson Rossi |
| 2005 Making the most of the Relationship: Active Listening Skills for Reflexologists Client: Norfolk Group of Reflexologists (Association of Reflexologists) Andrea
led us through a lively and highly enjoyable workshop which involved
everyone from the beginning. She taught 'active listening skills' in an
interactive and non-threatening way and all of us came away from the
session with real tools to use in our relationships with clients. A follow-up session is long overdue! Angela Sellens Drake MAR
|
| 2001 Listening Skills in Hospital: Active Listening Skills for NHS Practitioners Client: NHS, Training Associates, Norwich Andrea helped me to design and deliver Listening Skills workshops for 3
NHS Trust Hospitals in Norwich, King's Lynn and Bury St Edmunds.
Feedback from all three workshops was excellent and Andrea's
participation was noted for its energy and enthusiasm. She is creative
in her ideas, relevant in her teaching and an expert facilitator. She
finds ways to encourage self directed learning that can be both thought
provoking and fun. She is professional in every aspect of her work and can be relied on completely. I would highly recommend her.
Louise Young |