Essential Listening Skills for Busy School Staff: What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say

by Nick Luxmoore

How do you listen effectively when you re already late for a meeting? How do you respond to a girl who s so angry that she s threatening to hit someone? Or to a boy who feels like giving up altogether? How do you listen, not only to students, but also to parents and to colleagues? Whatever your role in school, listening will be at the heart of what you do. Your school will be measured, in part, by the quality of its daily relationships and those relationships will depend on how confidently people are able to listen to each other. This book answers all the difficult questions about how to listen, what to say, confidentiality and more. Helping with particular issues such as bullying, relationship difficulties, depression and self-harm is also covered. With over 35 years experience in a variety of school roles, Nick Luxmoore offers practical, realistic answers, advice and guidance. This book will be essential reading for teachers and non-teachers alike.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Nick Luxmoore was an English psychotherapist and author.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a really useful book on the importance of active listening and how to become a better listener in a busy school. However, there were a couple of sections here and there which I would feel inclined to cross out and replace before lending the book to anyone. For example, the author says that depression is a serious illness but most people who say they're depressed need reminding that they're not depressed. Fact check: yes, people can say they feel depressed when they really mean fed up or upset, however, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. So if someone tells you they're depressed, they may well be and you should take it seriously. There were also some troubling comments about sometimes self-harm not being serious enough to be worth passing on- eek.

It's a shame because as a whole, the book is full of great advice and is a much needed resource. I will probably refer back to it from time to time but would be reluctant to lend it out or recommend it without some important caveats.

[Books on Autism · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a long book and if anybody is reading it hoping to get in-depth information about how to navigate social encounters within the school day then they will probably be less than satisfied. For me, however, it is brilliant. Being autistic I often find social encounters of any sort difficult, difficult encounters in school settings (where I frequently work) are no different. I don't really need deep and complex social steps to master because I would probably not be able to implement them well - a book like this that gives me simple and easy to use skills is ideal. For clear and straight-forward advice that would be relatively easy to remember to actually use, this book is spot on.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but packs a punch. some really good tips in here for how to become a better listener

[Mothwing · Rating 2 out of 5]

As listeners, our first job is to understand. We’re unlikely to be able to solve another person’s problem. Understanding what it feels like for the other person may be as much as we can do, but that will be an end in itself, that will be an achievement.

Nothing revolutionary, but a very easy-to-read and short guide to becoming a better listener as well as a reminder that quality, not quantity matters. Has good bits of advice about how to cope with bullied people and bullies alike. There's also a handy checklist at the end of the book summarising the essential points made.

[John Scothern]

Around 90 pages of easy-to-read typeface, with carefully chosen, well presented and highlighted sections...
I discovered the book lurking in a resources cupboard and found it thought-provoking and helpful in an easy-going way. Driven by the author's wide daily experience and insight over many years, it's practical and -I found- easy to relate to. A bit of psychology thrown in but nothing 'heavy'. Worth a dabble in spare moments.