Connection · Communication & people skills
Hear and Be Heard: a communication skills course for listening and speaking clearly
Six short lessons on why misunderstandings happen, listening fully, open questions and say-backs, speaking clearly, being assertive, and repairing tricky conversations.
About this course
Communication skills course: listen and speak clearly.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 14 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
Adults who want to listen better, speak more clearly and handle tricky conversations at home, at work and with friends.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time. You start with just your first name and email, and you can take one whole course that way. After that, a free account lets you continue past lesson 1.
Sources we rely on
14 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Spot attention, meaning and signal gaps behind misunderstandings
- Listen fully, without interrupting or fixing too soon
- Use open questions and say-backs to check understanding
- Prepare a clear three-part message and say it assertively
- Start tricky conversations gently and repair them when they go wrong
Downloads
- Communication skills workbook .docxFull versions of the course exercises: communication audit, listening diary, questions and say-backs with an ALEC planner, message planner, assertiveness practice and a tricky conversation plan.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Sources
Check the originals.
How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
Not therapy or counseling. If you're struggling, please contact a support service. In an emergency call 000 (AU), 999 (UK), 911 (US/Canada) or 111 (NZ). Anywhere else, call your local emergency number.
- Relationships and communication · Better Health Channel (Victorian Government, Australia)
- Assertiveness · Better Health Channel (Victorian Government, Australia)
- Relationships: tips for success · Better Health Channel (Victorian Government, Australia)
- What to do if you think someone is struggling (listening tips) · Samaritans (UK and Ireland)
- How to ask R U OK? · R U OK? (Australia)
- Lifeline crisis support: 13 11 14 · Lifeline Australia
- Contact a Samaritan · Samaritans (UK and Ireland)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · 988 Lifeline (US)
- 1800RESPECT: national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling service · 1800RESPECT (Australian Government-funded)
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline · National Domestic Abuse Helpline (England, run by Refuge)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline · The Hotline (US)
- Triple Zero · Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (AU)
- Contact the police · GOV.UK
- National 911 Program · 911.gov, NHTSA (US)
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: researched from published official, public-health, university and support-service guidance (general education, not counselling or therapy), then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General education, not counseling, therapy, medical or legal advice. If you are struggling, contact one of the support services named in this course; in an emergency, call your local emergency number. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
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