Relational Conversations Training (in-person)

Understanding the needs of residents with a complex range of problems requires a different kind of conversation. Working with nearly two hundred front-line experts from the public and voluntary sector in Newham during the pandemic, Basis co-created 5 principles for great Relational Conversations.

The training uses these principles to enhance people’s existing ability to quickly build a relationship with the person they’re aiming to help, form a holistic understanding of the challenge at hand and to co-create solutions to overcome them. Far from ‘talk-over slides’, the training is lively and interactive. Through the use of forum theatre, we enable attendees to experiment with alternative approaches to having meaningful conversations, reflect on their own practice and learn from each other in a safe environment.

There is no perfect template for a Core Conversation. Whether you’ve got 2 days’ experience or 20 years, there’s always more to learn. The insights gathered from each session are used to continuously update the principles to benefit the alumni network and future participants. We learn something new together every session.

What the training gives you in practice:

· Recognise where you might go wrong in a difficult conversation with a resident

· Compare your current practices with peers working in similar roles

· Implement at least three improvements to your own practice to take back to your organisation

· How to build empathy when interacting with customers

· Acknowledge any unconscious bias that may exist

· You can explore the residents’ queries holistically

· Build trust with residents more easily

The Relational Conversations training is for you, if:

· You want to enhance your ability to quickly build relationships

· You want to form a holistic understanding of the challenge at hand

· You want to co-create solutions to overcome your challenges

· You want to experiment with alternative approaches to having meaningful conversations

· You want your team members to have more Relational Conversations

· You want to reflect on your own practice and learn from each other in a safe environment

This training is reserved for staff and leadership of VCSE organisations based and working in Ealing.

Who is offering the training?

Ealing Council and Basis are partnering to deliver this training, free of charge, to community organisations in Ealing with support from EHCVS. We hope to build local capacity and strengthen relational practice, helping us work together to achieve better outcomes for Ealing residents.

Training review:

An external review of Relational Conversations (formerly “Core Conversations”) was conducted by researchers at UCL (University College London) as part of a wider programme and model of interventions:

· “Through the training sessions interviewees felt more able to deploy the necessary skills to build trust with residents by listening and not judging or generalising situations.”

· “Frontline workers were very positive about the core conversations training, which helped them build empathy when interacting with customers, acknowledging any unconscious bias that may exist and exploring the residents’ queries holistically.”

Limited places available. For any queries please email: suvi@ehcvs.org.uk