Maggie Kindred is a retired qualified social worker, trainer and practice teacher. Michael Kindred is a freelance games designer and educational consultant. Their interests lie in groupwork, communication skills and teamwork, and they have written several publications in these areas. Maggie and Michael are authors of Once Upon a Group: A Guide to Running and Participating in Successful Groups, and Maggie is author of A Practical Guide to Working with Reluctant Clients in Health and Social Care, both published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Introduction. Why do we need to communicate well? Tips about the tips! Book
structure. 1. How Do We Communicate? Communicating verbally - face to face.
Communicating verbally - giving presentations. Communicating verbally - on
the telephone. Non-verbal communication - writing. Non-verbal communication
- electronic written communication. Non-verbal communication - body
language. Non-verbal communication - communicating imaginatively! Different
modes of communication - communicating on to one. Different modes of
communication - communicating with groups. 2. Skills for Communication.
Listening skills. Questioning skills. Assertiveness skills.
Information-giving skills. Advice-giving skills. Reassurance. Disclosure.
Challenging. Negotiation skills. Dismantling barriers. 3. Emotions in
Communication. Clients and workers have feelings! Angry feelings - conflict
management. Handling stress. Using humour. 4. Communication in Different
Settings. Where to meet? 5. Structured Communication. Preparing yourself
first. Scene-setting. Preparing the location. Setting the tone.
Introductions. Relationship length. Setting goals. Handling interruptions.
Summarizing. Endings. 6. Communicating with Different People. Working with
men and women. Working with children. Working with people of different
races and cultures. Working with clients who do not speak English. Working
with disabled and differently-abled people. Working with older people.
Working with people of different sexualities. Wealth, class and society. 7.
Communicating with Self-awareness. Know yourself. Personal bias and
agendas. Making judgements. Think about your expectations. Using labels. 8.
Professional Boundaries and Responsibilities. Boundaries. Confidentiality.
Being clear about roles and responsibilities. Communicating in the
workplace. 9. Rights, Advocacy and Meeting Clients' Needs. Meeting needs.
Understanding rights. Helping your client to make decisions and choices.
Being an advocate. 10. Communication and Procedures. Know the rules.
Assessment. Recording and reporting. Background checks and safeguarding.
Dealing with abuse. Responding to complaints. Supervision. Appraisal.
Epilogue.
