Lifeline learnings for better conversations
First it was COVID-19, then lockdowns, then Delta, then more lockdowns, and now it’s Omicron. It’s not surprising that many of us are feeling unusually on edge in the last few weeks of 2021.
You don’t need to be a psychologist to support someone who is feeling overwhelmed.
As a numbers person, I find it much easier to manage more concrete things like numbers and actions, while human communication is something that doesn’t come quite as naturally. Through my training to answer the Lifeline phones, I realised that good communication can be broken into key skills and a couple of formulae that anyone can learn.
I’ve described one simple formula – listen, question, check and respond - in the 3 minute video below. This formula can help in all sorts of conversations at work and at home, such as career counselling conversations, wellbeing conversations, difficult conversations, and more.
You might even find this formula helpful when listening to someone else who needs to offload about how this pandemic continues to challenge us this week.
Try the formula in your next conversation at work or at home, and let me know how it goes!
