Advice sheets for volunteers

To further the support that we give to our volunteers, we have assembled here a collection of articles - many of which originated as handouts at our training days - giving helpful advice on how to make the most of a number of common volunteering situations.

What do you say after you've said hello? provides ideas for what to do when visiting and befriending people. It will hopefully prevent any uneasy silences that could occur when trying to hold conversations with somebody you don't know.

Effective communication describes the many issues that must be addressed when talking to people that don't comprehend in the same way as you; those with sight or hearing impairments, learning difficulties, dementia, or who are not fluent in English.

Open ended questions should always be used when trying to understand somebody better and when trying to discover how best to help them. This article provides a selection of useful questions to ask.