Listening skills

Course summary

This one-day workshop focuses on a key but often ignored communication skill: focused listening. If you consider the four basic communication skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing, it is interesting to note that listening is the first learned, the most used and the least taught whereas writing is the last learned, least used and the most taught. With that in mind, reflect on your years in education – from primary school through university. Was there ever a dedicated course offered to you in listening?

SL, Merseyside Polic

“This course has made me much more aware of the types of skills which I could employ and the types of body language to use to get the best interactions with friends and colleagues.”

SB, Housing for Women

“The trainer was great and I was able to be attentive without getting bored. The course was brilliant as well, it taught me skills that I can apply to the work I'm doing at the moment.”

MY, DVSA

“The course was very interesting and informative, and Il'll be able to use the materials I received in both my professional and personal life. I would definitely consider other courses at the Centre.

Course dates and location

We can deliver this course virtually for your organisation, on a date and time that suits you. If you have four or more people who would like to attend this course then group training could be the most cost-effective option. Contact one of our Training Coordinators on 020 7490 3030 or email for more information and a quote.

If you would like to attend this course then register your interest with us. Currently, this course is run on request meaning that a date will be scheduled once we have at least three people interested in attending this course.

There are no dates available at the moment.

By ‘focused listening’ we are referring to moving away from our hectic, ‘get it done NOW’ lives and moving towards more meaningful interactions with other human beings – something of a haven from our fast-paced world. More importantly, the skills taught will help create deeper, more rewarding relationships with your staff, colleagues, customers, clients and other stakeholders.

Focused listening is a way of listening that involves a clear intention and ability to concentrate on the speaker’s words in order to discern what is being communicated on multiple levels. By focused listening you will hear what is, and is not being said and can pick up on subtleties that are often missed with more superficial, hurried listening. By taking the time to truly listen to what the speaker has to say, the other person is likely to feel respected and heard. Real and focused listening leads to greater trust on the part of listener and the potential for a stronger overall relationship.

This one-day course covers:

why listening is so important
best and worst listeners exercise
the concept of ‘slow listening’
principles of communication
five types of listening
giving and getting feedback
asking questions
too much noise level and overcoming it
listening to learn
listening to decide
listening to connect
a year of free support

The course is highly interactive with useful exercises, group discussion and role play.

This course is for anyone who wants to improve their listening skills, from administrators and assistants through to line managers and senior managers. You may feel that you have difficulty with your focused listening, or simply that you wish to strenghten your work relationships through improved listening skills.

The Centre works with people from all sectors including the public sector, voluntary sector, corporate sector and private sector.

By the end of this course you will be able to understand the listening process in the context of facilitating effective interactions with others by identifying your barriers to listening and practicing skills and attitudes which facilitate effective listening.

You will have an increased awareness of how state-of-mind impacts the quality of listening. You will be able to identify and confirm what is going on in the other person’s world. This includes identifying their core issues, needs and concerns.

You will have an understanding of how to discern the deeper meaning behind the other person’s communication. This includes listening beyond the words for both spoken and unspoken messages.

You will have an enhanced ability to summarise the conversation and confirm next steps.

The Centre has a wide range of communication courses. You may find Speed reading, Influencing skills and Assertiveness skills of particular interest.

£522 plus VAT not-for-profit price (applies to charities and all other not-for-profit organisations, including public sector and housing)
£589 plus VAT standard price (applies to all other organisations)

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Special offer price: £500.65 VAT: £100.13; TOTAL: £600.78 ‘Not-for-profit’ special offer price: £443.70 VAT: £88.74; TOTAL: £532.44

We have a two-tier pricing structure, offering discounted rates to charities and not-for-profit organisations: Not-for-profit price applies to charities and other not-for-profit organisations (including public sector and housing) Standard price applies to all other organisations

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