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Mental Health Awareness Modules

Listening Skills

A practical three-hour course for organisations and groups that want people to listen more effectively, feel more confident in difficult conversations and respond supportively without feeling they have to fix everything.

Enquire about this course
Duration 3 hours
Group size 8–20 people
Delivery Interactive group training
Location Across Scotland
Overview

About this course

Listening can sound simple, but there is a difference between hearing someone and giving them the space to feel genuinely heard. In conversations about mental health, that can mean paying attention without interrupting, noticing verbal and non-verbal cues, asking questions that keep the conversation open and resisting the urge to jump straight to advice or solutions.

When someone is struggling, people often want to help quickly. That instinct is understandable, but rushing to reassure, solve the problem or offer an opinion can sometimes close a conversation down. Good listening is active and purposeful. It can help build trust, reduce judgement and make it easier for someone to talk honestly about what they are experiencing.

This three-hour module gives participants practical ways to strengthen their listening skills. The group explores active listening, empathy, open questions, communication barriers and difficult conversations, alongside the importance of boundaries and recognising when someone may need further support.

Is this course right for your group?

Designed for

Workplaces, managers and team leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, community organisations, volunteers and other groups where people may find themselves having supportive or sensitive conversations.

Particularly useful if

  • People tend to move quickly into advice, reassurance or problem-solving when someone is struggling.
  • Managers, colleagues or volunteers want more confidence handling sensitive conversations about mental health.
  • Your group would benefit from practical techniques for listening without judgement or interruption.
  • Communication barriers, assumptions or emotional reactions can sometimes make difficult conversations harder.
  • People want to understand how to be supportive while keeping clear boundaries around their own role.
For your organisation

What this can help your organisation achieve

Better everyday conversations

Build practical listening habits that can support clearer, more respectful communication when someone needs to talk.

Greater confidence with difficult subjects

Help people feel less unsure about sensitive mental health conversations by giving them a simple, practical approach to listening and responding.

Clearer supportive boundaries

Strengthen understanding that listening well does not mean becoming a counsellor, solving the problem or taking responsibility for another person’s wellbeing.

Outcomes

What you’ll learn

Listen actively and attentively

Use practical active-listening techniques to give someone space to speak and show that their thoughts and feelings are being taken seriously.

Ask questions that keep conversations open

Explore the use of open questions, reflection and paraphrasing to encourage conversation without interrogating, directing or making assumptions.

Notice more than the words being said

Consider verbal and non-verbal cues and how tone, body language, pauses and other signals can contribute to understanding.

Respond without rushing to fix

Recognise common habits such as interrupting, giving unsolicited advice or jumping to solutions, and consider more supportive alternatives.

Navigate barriers and know your boundaries

Explore ways to handle communication barriers and emotional reactions while staying clear about your role and recognising when further support may be appropriate.

Course content

What we’ll cover

The importance of active listening

We look at why listening is an active part of supportive communication and how feeling heard can help build trust and make difficult conversations easier to continue.

Practical active-listening techniques

Participants explore verbal and non-verbal techniques including open questions, reflection, paraphrasing, patience and giving someone time to speak.

Recognising when someone may need support

The module considers some of the signs or changes that may suggest someone is experiencing mental health difficulties and how listening can form part of an appropriate first response.

Creating space for honest conversation

We consider how to reduce judgement, avoid unnecessary interruption and create the conditions in which someone feels more able to speak openly.

Overcoming communication barriers

Participants explore barriers such as assumptions, personal biases, emotional reactions and differences in communication, and consider ways to handle sensitive conversations respectfully.

Boundaries and looking after yourself

Supporting other people can sometimes be demanding. The session includes space to think about personal boundaries, your own wellbeing and why listening well does not mean carrying responsibility alone.

Course format

What to expect

Three-hour session

A focused three-hour module with time to practise and explore listening skills without requiring a full-day course.

Small groups

Groups are usually kept to 8–16 people, allowing time for discussion, questions and participation.

Interactive learning

The session uses a mixture of presentation, group discussion, case studies, videos and practical activities, with opportunities to think about how listening works in real conversations.

Respectful discussion

Clear expectations around confidentiality and respect help participants ask questions, reflect on their own communication habits and discuss potentially sensitive situations without judgement.

Green Ribbons

Why Green Ribbons?

Green Ribbons was founded by Jean Pryde after 30 years working in mental health settings. That experience sits behind a practical, plain-speaking approach to training that takes difficult subjects seriously without making them harder to talk about than they need to be.

Based in Moray and working across Scotland, Green Ribbons has delivered training for organisations including Diageo, Macallan and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, alongside professional bodies and community groups.

Booking

What happens next

1

Tell us what you're looking for

Tell us a little about your organisation or group, who the training is for and what you would like it to help with.

2

We'll talk it through

We'll discuss whether this module is the right fit, answer your questions and talk through the practical arrangements.

3

Arrange the training

If you'd like to go ahead, we'll agree the date, location and arrangements with you.

Enquire

Interested in this training?

Tell us a little about your group and what you’re looking for. We can talk through whether this course is the right fit and the practical arrangements.

You’re enquiring about Listening Skills

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