This document provides an overview of effective communication skills for case managers working with gender-based violence survivors. It discusses the importance of building trust and empowering survivors through communication. Key skills covered include active listening, using open and non-blaming questions, validating feelings, providing healing statements, following the survivor's pace, using simple language, and allowing for silence. Activities are included to practice these skills, such as role plays and exercises in nonverbal communication and using healing statements. The overall goal discussed is for case managers to strengthen relationships with survivors through respectful, supportive communication.

1. MODULE 1
INTERAGENCY GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
CASE MANAGEMENT TRAINING

2. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
MODULE 9

3. OBJECTIVES
Understand the importance
of strong communication
skills
Define engagement and its
components
Learn and practice various
communication skills

4. COMMUNICATION FOR HELPING RELATIONSHIPS
•The goal of communication between a service provider & survivor is
to establish a trusting, safe & supportive helping relationship.
•Empowers survivor to feel cared for & respected by the
helper/service provider
•Every meeting with the survivor is an opportunity for a helper/service
provider to strengthen helping relationship.

5. COMMUNICATION FOR HELPING RELATIONSHIPS
Engagement
Interpersonal Skills
Observing Attending Listening
Interpersonal Qualities
Warmth Empathy Respect
Genuinene
ss

6. ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
 Words – content of what you say
 Tone of voice
 Nonverbal behavior / body language
Body language consists of
 Body posture,
 Gestures,
 Facial expressions, and
 Eye movements
3 elements in any face-to-face communication:

7. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Eye contact: The appropriate level of eye contact changes from culture to
culture. Ensure enough eye contact to show engagement, without seeming as
though you are staring.
Body positioning: Be sensitive to the distance between yourself and the
survivor. Too much distance, or tables/desks in between you, creates less
openness. Too little distance may make the survivor feel uncomfortable or
unsafe.
Voice tone: Be audible but maintain a low volume and a calm tone. The survivor
will feel stress if you speak too loudly or excitedly.

8. ACTIVITY:
NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
In pairs, try to have a
conversation about how you’re
feeling this week –using ONLY
nonverbal communication. Try
to express if you’re tired, not
feeling well, happy, bored,
stressed etc.
After a few minutes of
nonverbal communication,
speak with each other verbally
to see how close you were to
understanding your partner’s
message.

9. COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
 Active Listening
 Effective questioning
 Validate feelings
 Use Healing Statements
 Follow the survivor’s pace
 Use simple and same language
 Use silence when appropriate

10. ACTIVE LISTENING
Paraphrase and summarize what the
survivor says, as needed, to show that you
are listening and understanding
Clarify when necessary
Reflect content and/or feeling
Help the survivor focus if they drift into
other topics
When you say he was
threatening, can you tell
me more about what he
was doing?
Let me see if I have
this right….
You said earlier that you were
walking home, and then . . he
surprised you on the path…
It sounds like you were very
scared in the moment when he
yelled and raised his fist.

11. EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING
Three types of questions:
•Open questions: these motivate the survivor
to talk and expand on what she is saying. Use
these questions often.
•Closed questions (yes/no): these can inhibit
the survivor from talking. Use these questions
only when specific information is needed.
•Questions starting with ‘Why’: These can
sound like blame to a survivor. Avoid using
these questions.
How were you able to
get to a safe place?
Would you like to
see a doctor?
Why did
you do
that?
Tell me
more
about how
that
happened.

12. VALIDATE FEELINGS
Allow the survivor to feel what they are feeling – and let them know that it
is okay and that it is normal. This helps the survivor feel safe with you.
“It’s okay to cry; crying is an expression of emotion.”
“Many women in your situation would also feel angry.”
“It is normal for you to feel so upset after what you have been
through; many people who have had similar experiences as you also
feel upset.”

13. ACTIVITY
In pairs, practice using the
skills we just learned. Each
person take turn being the
listener.

14. What happened
was not your fault.
HEALING STATEMENTS
Validates and empowers
Builds trust I believe you.
You are very brave for telling me.
Expresses empathy.
Reassurance and non-
blaming.
Builds relationship Thank you for telling me.
I am sorry this happened to you.

15. ACTIVITY
HEALING
STATEMENTS
In small groups of no more
than 5 people, come up
with other phrases that
could be used as Healing
Statements with survivors.
Identify which of the
categories below each
statement fits in.
Be prepared to share with
the larger group.

16. FOLLOW THE SURVIVOR’S PACE
Allow the person to tell their story in the way they want to and the
‘pace’ (speed) at which they want to
Do not rush the person.
Do not force the person to share something they do not want to
share.
Take breaks if needed

17. USE SIMPLE AND SIMILAR LANGUAGE
•Working with survivor – we should be talking in the same language
•We should be using simple words that she will know – for example – she
may not know what “GBV” is. She may not know what a “caseworker” is.
She may not know what a “referral” is or a “safety plan”. You need to use
simple words to describe these things.

18. SIMPLE
LANGUAGE
ACTIVITY
Come up with a list of at
least 5 “professional” terms
and/or phrases that we use
in this field and ‘translate’
them into simple, clear
language. We’ll go around
the room and share our
words and translations when
we’re finished.

19. USE SILENCE
•Silence is a powerful communication tool.
•It is really powerful when a survivor is getting upset for us to just sit there
with them. We let the person cry. We tell them it is ok. . .and we remain
silent with them until they are ready to move on.
•It communicates to the person that we are here and we are listening and
we aren’t going away. And that we are not judging them for what they are
feeling.

20. USING SILENCE
ACTIVITY
We’re going to sit together in
silence and stillness for 2
minutes. Please don’t draw,
write or do any work during
these 2 minutes. Observe
how you feel. Are you
uncomfortable? Are you
relaxed? Do you feel
anxious?
After the 2 minutes, we’ll talk
about how this exercise felt
for us.

21. ACTIVITY:
PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER
Keeping in mind the skills you just
learned and the Communication
Do’s and Don’ts, observe the role
play. What skills did you observe
the caseworker using? What was
the impact on the survivor and the
conversation?
Was there anything the
caseworker could have done
differently?

22. CLOSING
QUESTIONS?
CONCERNS?
REFLECTIONS?