Literacy and Numeracy

Below are five tips from the National Literacy Trust that you can do every day to improve your speaking and listening skills.

Plan what you would like to say

Planning presentations or for meetings is important at work. Before an opportunity to speak you should prepare and plan what you would like to contribute.

Who is the audience?

Do you need to use formal or informal language?

Bullet point what you would like to say

You can do this in meetings too. It's a good idea to have a notebook so that you can make notes and use that as a prompt to share your ideas. You can write down scripts for when you're speaking on the phone as well.

Start small

Being a good public speaking is about confidence. This can be a challenge for everyone.

Encourage yourself to take smaller speaking opportunities, like sharing an idea in a team or staff meeting.

Use opportunities that you have outside work too, by speaking to family friends, shop workers or the barista in your local coffee shop. Seek out opportunities when you can practise speaking and listening skills.

Listen to podcasts

Listening to podcasts that interest you can be a great way to get ideas and learn new things. Try to write down three things you've learnt each episode.

• Work Like a Woman by Mary Portas: This podcast explores how we can put kindness and compassion at the heart of business. Joined by guests including Bryony Gordon and Greggs CEO, Roger Whiteside, Portas explains how we all have the power to change the world of work.
• Girlboss Radio with Sophie Amoruso: Each week, Girlboss CEO Sophie Amoruso sits down for a conversation with an inspirational woman, who shares their tips for building a successful career or building their own business. With interviews featuring Jameela Jamil and Emily Weiss, to name a few.
• Power Hour: Adrienne Herbert's Power Hour is a motivational podcast to help you make the most of your time and find success. The podcasts include interviews with industry experts and change makers.
• Make it Happen: Creative coach Jen Carrington provides amazing advice that will leave you feeling inspired and ready to kick start your career. Each podcast is around 5-10 minutes long and filled with top tips.
• Squiggly Careers: Hosts Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper tackle the question "Want to have a happy career and love your job but not sure where to start?" Featuring top tips on how to kick start your dream job alongside interviews from inspirational leaders.

Listen to TV programmes and films

When you are watching TV, challenge yourself to really listen and make notes.

Tell someone three things that happened to you favourite character

Write down your favourite part and why

Write down or speak with someone about what you want to happen in the next episode or if there was a sequel to the film

Show that you are actively listening

Follow our five tips to show that you are actively listening.

• Be attentive
• Ask questions
• Ask for clarity if you do not understand
• Paraphrase what someone has said to you
• Think about your body language

The world is unpredictable and nerve-wracking for many of us at the moment!

Here is a great list of books that explore happiness and well-being, aimed at KS3 students from the National Literacy Trust.

9-12

Rollercoaster series: But What If...

By Paula Negal

These are therapeutic stories focusing on exam anxiety, worrying about transitioning to secondary school and social isolation. Paula Negal has worked as an education psychologist for 17 years and is currently Principal Educational Psychologist (North) for the national children's mental health charity, Place2Be.

Rollercoaster series: Mindreading

By Paula Negal

These are therapeutic stories focusing on exam anxiety, worrying about transitioning to secondary school and social isolation. Paula Negal has worked as an education psychologist for 17 years and is currently Principal Educational Psychologist (North) for the national children's mental health charity, Place2Be.

Rollercoaster series: Stuck on a loop

By Paula Negal

These are therapeutic stories focusing on exam anxiety, worrying about transitioning to secondary school and social isolation. Paula Negal has worked as an education psychologist for 17 years and is currently Principal Educational Psychologist (North) for the national children's mental health charity, Place2Be.

You Are Awesome: Find Your Confidence and Dare to be Brilliant at (Almost) Anything

By Matthew Syed

An inspiring book with lots of motivating messages! If you believe you can't do something, the chances are you won't try. But what if you really could get better at maths, or sport or exams? In fact, what if you could excel at anything you put your mind to? You Are Awesome can help young readers do just that, inspiring and empowering them to find the confidence to realise their potential.

The Same Inside: Poems about Empathy and Friendship

Liz Brownlee, Roger Stevens and Matt Goodfellow

These fifty poems deal sensitively with feelings, empathy, respect, courtesy, bullying, disability and responsibility. They are the perfect springboard to start conversations about these topics.

The Land of Neverendings

By Kate Saunders

Moving, raw and funny in all the right ways, The Land of Neverendings is a rip-roaring adventure, but it also gives an honest portrayal of grief for young readers. The book shows that whilst sadness does exist in the world, it doesn't have to cancel out happiness, or silliness, even when you lose someone you love.

Walls

By Emma Fischel

A moving, funny and heart-warming tale featuring Ned Harrison Arkle-Smith – whose world is falling apart - even discovering he can walk through walls isn’t helping. Original and quirky, this story will help children understand the impact of family difficulties and how we all can choose how we behave, even in the most difficult and unusual of circumstances.

The Goldfish Boy

By Lisa Thompson

A life-affirming story about a boy suffering from OCD, exploring friendship, loneliness and how to find hope even when it seems impossible.

Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot

By Horatio Clare

A brilliant, imaginative tale about Aubrey, whose father is suffering from depression and how he is determined to help make his dad better. Everyone says his task is impossible, but Aubrey will never give up and never surrender. With the help of some wonderful animal friends, Aubrey sets out on a spell-binding adventure to fight the Terrible Yoot!

The Book of No Worries

By Lizzie Cox

This guide covers a multitude of worries and anxieties that a young person may face while growing up, such as transitioning to secondary school and getting good grades while making and maintaining friendships. The book also looks at the non-stop nature of social media and the added pressure that it brings.