This course will be of particular interest to professional genealogists helping clients dealing with unexpected research results and/or challenging ancestral situations. Real life case studies will illustrate a range of situations and students will be able to discuss examples from their own practice. Self-care for genealogists who may be helping with difficult discoveries will also be explored. 

This course will help you communicate with clients more effectively and thus positively impact on your genealogy business or volunteer work. You'll learn some new information and practice your skills in a small group setting. You'll be with other students, working together in a friendly environment. The skills practice involves listening to a fellow student talk about a topic that the teacher assigns.

A certificate of completion will be provided to students who complete a reflective log and feedback on the course.

The course will cover:

•    An introduction to the importance of self-awareness in developing effective listening skills.

•    The qualities of an effective listener.

•    How effective listening skills can help build better relationships with clients.

•    The importance of taking care of yourself when dealing with difficult conversations.

•    The importance of questions – to hear and understand vs for interest.

•    An introduction to attending skills for the listener and skills practice.

•    An introduction to responding skills and skills practice.

•    Understanding our prejudices and how they can impact on our ability to be an effective listener.

This class will be delivered via live Zoom sessions using the online learning portal ‘CPD@Myplace’ (not the University's main Myplace platform) accessed directly via MyCLL.  See 'Taking your class Online via Zoom and CPD Myplace' on our Learning Guides webpage:

https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/learningguides/

Please note that this class involves in-class participation and covers sensitive themes and therefore sessions will not be recorded.