Core Communication Skills 

Active Listening
  •   Make eye contact, nod, and show you’re paying attention.
  •   Reflect back what you hear: “So you’re saying hot flushes make it hard to sleep?”

​

Teach Positive Thinking - Clear & Respectful Expression
  •   Use “I” statements: “I feel anxious when I can’t sleep,” instead of “You don’t

      understand.”
  •   Be specific: Instead of “I’m not coping,” say “Night sweats are making me

       exhausted during the day.”

 

Doula Activity:
Role-play rephrasing vague or blaming

statements into clear, respectful ones.

​​

​​​​​​​​​Empathy & Validation Phrases like:
  •   Show understanding: “That sounds

      difficult.”
  •   Validate feelings: “It makes sense

       you’d feel frustrated.”

 

Doula Activity:
Practice responding with empathy to a

common menopause concern.

​

Confidence & Advocacy help your clients:
  •   To be assertive, not aggressive.
  •   Prepare questions before appointments.
  •   Don’t minimise symptoms.

 

Activity:
Ask your client to write down 2 questions they would ask a doctor and practice saying them with confidence. Help with rephrasing if necessary.

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

Helping Clients Overcome Barriers
  •   Stigma and embarrassment.
  •   Lack of knowledge in workplaces or families.
  •   Fear of being dismissed by healthcare providers.

Group brainstorm: What strategies can help overcome these barriers?

​

Practical Communication Scenarios

If doing classes divide into small groups discuss how they would communicate in situations like:
   1.    Telling a partner about mood changes.
   2.    Asking a boss for workplace adjustments.
   3.    Explaining symptoms to a teenage child.

 

Groups share back ideas.

​

Reflection helps us to evelauate our own reactions and communications - write a journal for the next few weeks - detailing areas you felt you could have handled differently.
  •   Revisit the question: “What would make you feel heard?”
  •   Key takeaway: Good communication is about listening, clarity, empathy, and

        confidence.

​

​