Course Description:

Interpersonal communication lies at the heart of all human social behaviour, but not everyone has the ability to communicate effectively. Volunteers and paid workers require a range of communication skills to deal with a variety of situations. The skills that enable people to cope with interpersonal events successfully, so that all involved feel respected and valued, can easily be learned.

The Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers aims to facilitate students' learning of these skills, whilst they simultaneously acquire the knowledge to recognise and develop their existing communication skills. The course employs an experiential approach to learning, which means that students use experiences from their roles in the voluntary sector to aid their learning, rather than background reading, which is the more traditional approach. Volunteers and paid workers world-wide use a range of interpersonal skills in their work, sometimes without recognition. This course offers the opportunity to gain recognition by formal validation through a series of written assignments which encourage students to reflect on their role in the voluntary sector.

The course begins by considering the different approaches that volunteers and paid workers use in a 'helping' environment and provides an opportunity to explore your own role within a particular organisation. Subsequent Units consider issues pertinent to all, such as confidentiality, working alongside professionals and communicating in group contexts. Several interpersonal skills are explored including verbal and non-verbal communication and an introduction to the use of counselling skills is provided.

A number of Units are integrated to explain how assertive behaviour can be used effectively to negotiate, make decisions and solve problems. The Course shows how difficult situations, such as dealing with aggression, can result in positive outcomes when appropriate language is used. One Module focuses on communication at meetings and describes the ways in which presentations can be made more effective. The concept of Equal Opportunities is addressed alongside the issues of personal empowerment and personal development. The Certificate comprises eight modules. Modules 1-7 are each divided into three units. There is an assignment at the end of each Module. The final Module provides an opportunity for students to reflect back over the course as a whole and to examine how their interpersonal skills have developed.

Course Content Overview

The Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers course is made up of 22 Units in 8 Modules, each Module. Below is a list of Units with a brief description of each.

Module One

Unit 1 - Facets of Volunteering

This unit identifies and differentiates between different helping approaches which can be used in helping situations and supportive relationships.  In particular it looks at the following approaches: Advice/Information; Advocacy; Befriending; Counselling; Empowerment; Facilitating/Enabling and Mentoring.  It encourages students to identify roles and approaches they may be using or have used in the past and to examine whether they have enough information to implement such approaches or roles.

Unit 2 - Confidentiality

This unit encourages students to evaluate the importance of confidentiality and consider the implications involved in maintaining it.  It also highlights relevant legislation related to data protection and protection of the individual.

Unit 3 - Reflective Practice

This unit examines reflective practice and illustrates its use and role in experiential learning; leading to enhanced learning and assimilation of material.

Module Two

Unit 4 - Working with Professionals

This unit helps the student to explore how volunteers and workers within organisations should define responsibility and evaluate how it is shared.  It will encourage an awareness regarding lines of communication within organisations and the need for good communications and clear policies and procedures.

Unit 5 - Communication Skills

Communication is further explored within this unit and effective communication skills are examined.

Unit 6 - Working with Groups

This unit aims to give an overview of groups, looking at how they function, the life cycle of groups, different roles individuals adopt within groups and the impact that membership of a group may have on an individual.

Module Three

Unit 7 - Counselling Approaches

The aim of this unit is to define what counselling is and what it is not.  It explains the role and skills of the professional counsellor and describes three professional approaches to counselling.

Unit 8 - Listening Skills

Effective and active listening skills are explored within this unit and its aim is to encourage good listening skills in the student.

Unit 9 - Reflecting and Clarifying

Reflecting and clarifying are important aspects of effective listening and this unit explores these techniques in depth.

Module Four

Unit 10 - Assertiveness

This unit aims to encourage the student to differentiate between different behavioural responses.  It examines assertiveness techniques and responses and illustrates the positive effects of a balanced response.

Unit 11 - Problem Solving

Problem solving is examined in a structured manner within this unit and encourages the student to examine this method of dealing with problems.

Unit 12 - Decision Making

As with problem solving, decision making can be performed in a series of steps.  This unit explores each stage of decision making and encourages a structured approach to making decisions.

Module Five

Unit 13 - Negotiation

Negotiation is an important aspect of life and an important interpersonal skill.  It is examined in this unit in reference to the need to achieve a win-win outcome with effective communication being an important element.  The various stages of negotiation are examined within this context.

Unit 14 - Dealing with Aggression

Three broad theories of aggression are examined initially in this unit and it then builds upon previous units to explore aggression and how to deal with it.

Unit 15 - Stress Management

This subject follows neatly after the previous one to examine how to deal with stress.  Students are encouraged to examine their own reactions to stressful events as well as ongoing stress in everyday life and to identify ways of managing stress.

Module Six

Unit 16 - Meetings

Meetings are essential elements of successful group interactions and productivity but are not always well organised or managed.  This unit defines different types of meetings and explores positive chairing skills and meetings.

Unit 17 - Presentation Skills

As with meetings, Presentation Skills are an important aspect of voluntary and paid work.  This unit aims to enhance these skills and encourage confidence in their use.

Unit 18 - Personal Presentation

This unit follows on from the previous one and explores how to present ourselves positively in all areas of life.

Module Seven

Unit 19 - Equal Opportunities and Encouraging Diversity

This unit helps students to define Equal Opportunities by exploring diversity and describing different forms of discrimination.  Its aim is to help overcome discrimination and it examines different legislation which impinges on Equal Opportunities.

Unit 20 - Personal Empowerment

In order to start drawing the whole course together this unit encourages students to examine their own personal empowerment.

Unit 21 - Personal Development

This follows on from the previous unit and encourages students to explore their own personal development.

Module Eight

Unit 22 - Course Review

This last unit reviews all of the previous units and is designed to help you to assimilate the whole of the course.

Examples of course content

See also:
'What are Interpersonal Skills?' page
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