What do you say after you've said hello?

Spending time with someone and letting them have your undivided attention is a great gift. If you're worried about how the conversation is going to go, it's a good idea to think about it beforehand.

Before you start a conversation, remember that many of our clients may well be hard of hearing, so do remember to speak clearly and to sit and face them. Check to see whether they have a hearing aid and if so, whether it's turned on.

Volunteers often think they shouldn't talk about their own lives, that they should just ask the person they are visiting about themselves. But sometimes that can feel as if you're giving them the third degree. So don't worry about talking about you - this can lead on to a reciprocal conversation.

Topics to talk about can include your family, your job, where you live and your hobbies. You can move on to develop the conversation by asking questions. Try to make these open ended - for example, 'What books do you enjoy reading?' can elicit a broader response than 'Do you enjoy reading?' Having established what your client's interests are, the next time you visit you might be able to bring with you an interesting article, magazine or book related to the topic.

As well as talking together, there are lots of activities you can do together. These include:

• Reading newspapers and magazines.
• Writing out New Year cards.
• Reading and replying to letters.
• Helping to fill in forms.
• Doing some indoor gardening, planting out containers.
• Playing table games such as dominoes, Connect 4, Scrabble or cards - you might find it useful to get large versions of these games.
• Writing the life story of the person you are visiting and putting this in a scrapbook together with relevant photos and memorabilia.
• Listening to music.
• Looking at photos of family or friends.
• Knitting or sewing or taking on a craft project together.

But perhaps the most important thing to remember is that the clients you're befriending aren't going to be judgemental about what you say or what you do; they will simply be delighted that you're there, and that you're giving up your time to be with them.