Who is the training is for?
The course has been designed for frontline staff, volunteers and champions who are in direct contact with the public, who wish to develop or sharpen their conversational skills and knowledge of basic health and wellbeing advice, and who need to support people to be aware of (and adhere to) COVID19 advice and guidance.

Wide-ranging tasks these workers deliver include: raising public awareness of current COVID19 guidelines (including the test and trace service); telephoning to check on vulnerable residents; delivering food parcels and prescriptions; and engaging in befriending activities.

COVID19 has meant that many more frontline workers are having to deal with issues that impact health and wellbeing that are outside of their comfort zone. Furthermore, local intelligence highlights a great deal of fear and anxiety among residents (and staff) about COVID leading to non-compliance or over-compliance of the rules and that there is little understanding about what the actual risks are. These issues are addressed in the session.

The course is ideally suited to learning together in small, interactive groups. Participants can come from the same service, or a mix of service areas.

Course objectives
The Good Conversations skills training supports frontline workers to Make Every Contact Count at a time when many of the contacts they are having will be impacted in some way by COVID19. The session will build confidence, knowledge and skills required for good conversations in these very challenging times and provide participants with resources specific to COVID19.

Specific objectives include to:

  • Increase awareness, understanding, trust in and adoption of key public health measures and behaviours to prevent COVID-19 transmission, especially test and trace
  • Encourage and support use of and access to health and care services and support, highlighting the availability and safety of services
  • Support children and families to return to school
  • Increase healthy behaviours, health literacy, uptake of preventative interventions and self-management (i.e. looking beyond COVID-19)

With its strong emphasis on core communication skills, the course also provides excellent foundation-level training for staff who plan to engage in more specialist training in areas such as: domestic violence; mental health first aid; and motivational interviewing.

Learning outcomes
After completing the training, staff, volunteers and champions will be able to:

  • use a MECC approach to support peoples’ health and wellbeing
  • proactively provide information and advice on COVID specific PH messages (testing, isolation and contact tracing etc.)
  • promote good engagement with these ongoing COVID measures, overcoming any fears, barriers and myths that people may have

Course outline
Each session runs for 2hrs, covering the following 5 modules:

  • Public attitudes and behaviours relating to COVID-19
  • What does a good conversation look like?
  • Key skill areas intrinsic to a good conversation – review of skills and top tips
  • Models and simulations – using audio and video examples
  • Resources to support good conversations – introducing key online resources

Course delivery
Courses are flexibly designed for participants in a highly interactive online Zoom environment lasting 2hrs. On completion of a short post-course evaluation form, participants will receive a Royal Society of Health (RSPH) completion certificates and access to a ‘Good Conversation Top Tips’ resource handout.

Full instructions on how to join the session on Zoom will be sent out 24-48 hours before the course.

Please email meccsupport@smgateway.co.uk:

  • To arrange for bespoke sessions for your team.
  • If the session is fully booked and you would like to be placed on our waiting list for the next available session.
Cancelled
Date & time
10 Mar 2021 at 10:00am
Capacity
16 spaces available
Venue

Online Zoom video training

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