Today, the Samaritans are hosting The Big Listen – a 24-hour event to raise awareness of their work and the importance of listening. The Samaritans are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. They take calls from anyone who is finding it difficult to cope.
Today, the Samaritans are hosting The Big Listen – a 24-hour event to raise awareness of their work and the importance of listening.
The Samaritans are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. They take calls from anyone who is finding it difficult to cope. It is a safe place for people to talk and be listened to. Last year over 5 million calls were answered.
Listening is important and something we can all be better at. How often do we hear what someone has said but not processed the meaning? Or simply assumed we understand what they are saying? Listening is about more than hearing. It is about taking the time to allow people to talk about what is important to them, or troubling them. Just as important, it is about taking the time to understand what they are saying.
It can often feel difficult to find time when we are so busy, but the importance of listening should not be underrated. As the Samaritan know “when people feel listened to, it can save a life”.
As part of The Big Listen, the Samaritans are sharing their SHUSH listening tips. These tips are simple steps that can make us all better listeners.
We have a strong focus on wellbeing here at the OSCO and we will be using these tips to improve our listening skills. But they don’t just apply to the workplace. Everyone can make more time to listen in all parts of our life.
For more information about the Samaritans and The Big Listen go to www.samaritans.org
If you feel you are struggling to cope and you need to speak to someone you can phone the Samaritans 116 123.
You can also find details of a range of other services on the Useful Links and Contacts page of our website.