Communication Skills

This archived announcement introduces Manchester’s Teaching Co-Operative Course on 10–12 October 2018. It outlines a practical approach to clinical education, connecting learning theory with bedside teaching, presentations, simulation, feedback and wellbeing, and introduces the international faculty behind the three-day programme.

What makes a conference question worth everyone’s time? Simon Carley revisits a tongue-in-cheek question-asking algorithm and the serious point behind it: making discussion useful for the whole audience. He considers moderated social-media questions, their limitations and ways to encourage focused debate without silencing participation.

How do we make decisions when time is short and information incomplete? This introduction to St Emlyn’s first e-book brings together risk, probability and metacognition, explaining why thinking about our thinking matters in emergency medicine.

Good paediatric communication involves more than breaking bad news. This dasSMACC teaching post explores cultural assumptions, preparing children and families for procedures, and listening directly to young patients, with practical ways to make consultations more inclusive and honest.

Looking for ways to make a workshop genuinely interactive? This collection describes feedback games, communication exercises, role play and small-group tasks, explaining how they have been used and adapted, and why briefing and debriefing matter as much as the activity.

A successful workshop starts with clear aims and an understanding of its participants. This ten-step guide covers context, resources, timing and interaction, then explains how feedback and structured reflection can help you refine the session for its next outing.