This book explores:

· What is meant by communication skills

· What communication skills are

· What they look like in practice

· The differences in communicating with service users and professionals, such as children, guardians, peers and emergency workers

· Why they are important

It includes a wide range of theories, multiple case studies, reflective tasks, and exercises. It will develop your critical thinking and reflection skills, and help you develop your own communication style.

Presented in a chronological style which acts as a working tool that you can dip into and out of. Each chapter is structured in a way that encourages you to build on your knowledge, so it begins by taking you right back to basics to learn core theory and practice techniques before getting you to critically reflect on the use of different skills in different settings and with different service user groups. The end-of-chapter skills audits help you to reflect on what you have learnt, what your strengths are and what you need to work on more.

Doctor Paula Beesley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Academic Practice Lead at Leeds Beckett University, educator, researcher and author. Her teaching interests include critical thinking in communication skills, practice skill development and placement modules. Her research interests focus on pedagogical development. Her doctoral study identified a model of Collaborative Experiential Learning (Beesley, 2023) to support students on practice placement develop knowledge and skills. More recently, she has undertaken pedagogical research exploring the learning experience and environment for students with reasonable adjustments, inclusion of role play in teaching, the experiences of newly qualified social workers, and most recently exploring student poverty.