Am I Safe to Talk To?
one-hour keynote
The RUOK focus has been outstanding in creating awareness of mental health challenges.
The RUOK question seems simple enough, but to be effective it relies on substantial skills on the part of the person who is asking the question.
Because in the moment when the question is asked, the person will make a snap decision – “Is this person safe for me to share what is going on for me?”
So the question is – “Are you safe to talk to?”
What if the person you ask says “No I’m not OK” Then do you have the communication skills to engage in the conversation? Can you manage your emotional reaction? Can you do empathy – which is to focus on them? Or do you do sympathy and you talk about yourself or you tell them what to do?
Or do you respond with “I know how you feel….” [You don’t really]
“I understand what you are going through ….” [Again, nice try but you really have no idea]
Most people, and particularly Managers, have never been taught the person-centered communication skills to do empathy and compassion appropriately.
You will learn how to have safe and authentic conversations to support mental health and wellbeing in yourself, for themselves and others.
In this keynote, mental health and wellbeing specialist Bill Carson will share best practice insights and key strategies on how to see and hear the signs that someone may be struggling, how to engage in an empathetic conversation and how to empower the person to access the resources that are most appropriate for them.
Key Learning Outcomes:
- What would you be noticing if someone was struggling?
- The SAFE way to engage in a person-centered conversation
- The simple strategies to empower the other person to seek the help they need
- How you look after your own self-care in these conversations.
What Others have experienced
- 1.“I really appreciated the practical approach that Bill took with real life examples
- 2. Great facilitator - has been very good working with Bill.
- 3. Bill is a very clear and knowledgeable course facilitator.
- 4. The big thing I will do differently is when discussing an issue with someone is avoid going into solutions mode and focus more on them, and ask more questions to get them thinking about their own solutions
- 5. Be aware of my conversations with others - ensure I do not refer back to self but rather listen and ask many open-ended questions to help the person be empowered rather than disempowered.
- 6. Ask more questions, refraining from solution mode and check in as much as needed.”
- 1. “Bill was an excellent facilitator and coach, taking the time to ensure everyone was clear and on the journey. He allowed space for questions and time to think which are key when learning effectively online
- 2. Bill was very good, asked us a lot of questions and was quite knowledgeable.
- 3. Bill was a fantastic course leader. He was incredibly personable and made us feel comfortable throughout. I would highly recommend Bill in the future.
- 4. Bill was absolutely fantastic. He was engaging, incredibly informed and had a relaxed yet professional style. He made us comfortable in asking questions and went at the pace we needed.
- 5. Be aware of my conversations with others - ensure I do not refer back to self but rather listen and ask many open-ended questions to help the person be empowered rather than disempowered.
- 5. Bill was engaging and created a safe space to have honest and robust conversations. Bill presented the content in a conversational manner making it easy to follow and understand.