People Skills

324 Pages·2015·2.137 MB·English

by  Neil Thompson

People Skills
Also by Neil Thompson:
Anti-Discriminatory Practice (fifth edition)*
The Critically Reflective Practitioner (with Sue Thompson)*
Effective Communication (second edition)*
Grief and its Challenges*
Loss and Grief: A Guide for Human Services Practitioners* (ed.)
Loss, Grief and Trauma in the Workplace
People Management*
The People Solutions Sourcebook (second edition)*
Practising Social Work: Meeting the Professional Challenge*
Promoting Equality: Working with Diversity and Difference (third edition)*
Promoting Workplace Learning
Power and Empowerment
The Social Work Companion (with Sue Thompson)*
Theory and Practice in Human Services (second edition)
Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice (fourth edition)*
* Also published by Palgrave Macmillan
People Skills
4th edition
NEIL THOMPSON
© Neil Thompson 1996, 2002, 2009, 2015
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First edition 1996
Second edition 2002
Third edition 2009
Fourth edition 2015
Published by PALGRAVE
Palgrave in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave is a global imprint of the above companies
and is represented throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-137-46755-3
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
For Sheree
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Contents
List of figures ix
Preface to the fourth edition xi
Acknowledgements xiii
About the author xiv
Introduction xv
Part I Personal effectiveness 1
Chapter 1 Self-awareness 3
Chapter 2 Time management 11
Chapter 3 Stress management 20
Chapter 4 Information management 27
Chapter 5 Assertiveness 35
Chapter 6 Beating the bully 43
Chapter 7 Using supervision 51
Chapter 8 Being creative 59
Chapter 9 Continuous professional development 66
Chapter 10 Being realistic and resilient 74
Part II Interaction skills 83
Chapter 11 Valuing diversity 85
Chapter 12 Verbal communication 96
Chapter 13 Nonverbal communication 106
Chapter 14 Written communication 116
Chapter 15 Interviewing 127
Chapter 16 Influencing skills 137
Chapter 17 Leadership 144
Chapter 18 Handling feelings 152
Chapter 19 Managing conflict 162
Chapter 20 Multidisciplinary working 172
vii
Contents
Part III Intervention skills 181
Chapter 21 Anti-discriminatory practice 184
Chapter 22 Being systematic 194
Chapter 23 Assessment 203
Chapter 24 Planning 213
Chapter 25 Decision making 222
Chapter 26 Managing risk 230
Chapter 27 Review and evaluation 237
Chapter 28 Ending 247
Chapter 29 Responding to trauma: promoting healing and
recovery 256
Chapter 30 Reflective practice 263
Conclusion 271
Guide to further learning 277
References 295
Index 300
viii
List of figures
0.1 Think–Feel–Do xvii
1.1 The Johari window 9
2.1 Managing time and energy 16
3.1 Levels of pressure 21
4.1 Principles of information management 33
5.1 The assertive balance 35
5.2 Assertiveness and gender 40
6.1 Bullying 45
7.1 The four elements of supervision 55
8.1 Strategies for developing creativity 64
9.1 The process of learning 69
10.1 The balance of realism 80
11.1 Social divisions 85
11.2 Ethnically sensitive and anti-racist practice 89
12.1 Language and discrimination 104
13.1 Aspects of nonverbal communication 111
14.1 Confidentiality 123
15.1 Pitfalls to avoid 135
16.1 Strategies for influencing 142
17.1 Leadership and management 144
17.2 Pulling and pushing 145
18.1 Sympathy and empathy 153
19.1 Responding to aggression 167
20.1 The importance of partnership 174
21.1 Discriminatory processes 186
22.1 Systematic practice 196
22.2 The assessment cycle 201
23.1 Assessment as an iterative process 204
24.1 ‘Layers’ of need 216
25.1 Five stages of decision making 224
ix