Samaritans and the Power of Listening

"Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply".

Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process, and is key to all effective communication.

Good listening skills can lead to better customer satisfaction, including better outcomes for people who may display characteristics of vulnerability.

Without the ability to listen, in a work situation or in our personal lives, messages can easily be misunderstood. Consequently, communication breaks down and the sender of the message can become annoyed and/or frustrated.

If there is one communication skill we should aspire to master, it should be listening.

During this session, which the Samaritans have kindly agreed to run for us, we will explore why active listening is one of the most useful tools to use especially in challenging conversations.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the session delegates will be able to:

• Have a great understanding of who the Samaritans are and what they do
• Reflect on the listening challenges in your roles and how to use active listening to meet those challenges
• Find out about the Samaritans Listening style and how you can apply it in your work and personal lives

Presenter: Robert Jackson is a volunteer at Manchester and Salford Samaritans.

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