# Presentation: 084861

## Module 5  Communication with Victims and Survivors

## Learning Objectives

**Demonstrate your use of active listening techniques.**
**Differentiate between open-ended and closed-ended questions.**
**Demonstrate your use of five communication skills (e.g., active listening, paraphrasing, reflective listening, affirmation, and open-ended and closed-ended questioning) to establish trust with a victim.**

## Key Communication Skills:  Active Listening and Paraphrasing 

## Activity

***Listen to My Story***

## Introduction to Communication with Victim Survivors 

**Active listening**
**Paraphrasing**
**Reflective listening**
**Affirming**
**Open-ended and closed-ended questioning **

**Foundation skills for effective communication:**

## Effective Communication 

**	****In effective communication, one person conveys information or a message to another, and they both agree on the meaning.**

## Active Listening 

**Listening carefully to what the speaker is saying, without judgment or evaluation.**
**Listening to content of message as well as the feelings being expressed.**
**Attempting to stand in the other’s shoes to understand and relate to another’s situation and feelings.**

## How Do You Practice Active Listening? 

**Be attentive.**
**Take time to listen to the story without interrupting.**
**Allow client to be silent. **
**Ask for clarification or repetition of statements.**
**Listen without judgment.**
**Set your reactions aside and focus on the victim’s feelings.**

## Activity

***It Changed My Life***** **

## Actions Speak Louder Than Words 

**Nonverbal communication**
**Face-to-face communication **

## Paraphrasing 

**Paraphrasing: Stating back to the victim in your own words what you understood the victim to say.**
**Purpose of paraphrasing: To make sure that you have heard and understood what the victim has said and is feeling.  **

## How Do You Paraphrase?

**Listen to the victim carefully, focusing on key words, phrases, and concepts.**
**Repeat what the speaker has said, using your own words, without changing the meaning.**

## Activity

***Paraphrasing***

## Key Communication Skills:  Reflective Listening, Affirmation, and Open-ended and Closed-ended Questioning 

## Reflective Listening 

**Reflective listening: Reflecting their feelings back to victims. **
**Purpose of reflective listening: To make sure that you have understood what the victim is feeling, although the victim may not have expressed the feelings.  **

## Techniques To Practice Reflective Listening 

**Listen to the victim carefully.**
**Make a mental note of key points.**
**Notice how you are feeling.**
**Ask yourself how you would feel if you were the victim as you listen to the victim share the experience.  **
**Listen for what is not being said.**

## Activity

***It Changed My Life: ******Reflective Listening***** **

## Affirmation 

**Affirmation: Statements that recognize and validate a victim’s strengths.  **
**Purpose of affirmation: To help build the victim’s confidence in his or her ability to persist.**

## Activity

***Affirmation***

## Open-ended Questions vs. Closed-ended Questions 

**Open-ended questions: Questions that cannot be answered by “yes” or “no.”**
**Closed-ended questions: Questions that can be answered by either “yes” or “no.”**

## Getting Information with Questions 

**Ask yourself what information you need to get before you ask a question. Ask questions that will help you provide effective services to the victim.  **
**Ask questions one at a time.  Multiple questions can easily confuse or put off the other person.**

## Activity

***Open- and Closed-Ended Questions***

## Using Key Communication Skills 

## Activity

***Communication      Self-Assessment***

## Review of Module Learning Objectives

**Demonstrate your use of active listening techniques.**
**Differentiate between open-ended and closed-ended questions.**
**Demonstrate your use of five communication skills (e.g., active listening, paraphrasing, reflective listening, affirmation, and open-ended and closed-ended questioning) to establish trust with a victim.**