Every Conversation Counts

LGBTQIA+ communities are struggling right now. We hear this more and more in the conversations we have with our service users. Whatever you’re going through, we want you to know that there is someone there to listen and offer support.

Why “Every Conversation Counts”?

In a world that too often ignores or misunderstands LGBTQIA+ voices, we believe in the quiet power of being heard. This Pride season, we're shining a light on the simple yet profound act of listening.

Our campaign is a reminder that every conversation - no matter how small - can change a life. Whether you're reaching out, spreading the word, or listening deeply to someone else, you're making a difference.

Let’s make Pride not just a celebration, but a moment to connect, support, and show that we’re truly here for one another.

Reach out to us yourself

Speak with one of our confidential listening volunteers about anything you want to.

Tell someone you know about us

Help spread the word so more people know about our free services, running from 10am to 10pm all year round.

Use our active listening skills to hold space for anothe

It’s time to talk - use our active listening skills to engage others in conversation and ensure they feel truly heard.

Feeling heard helps and we want to encourage open dialogue with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and our allies. Get involved with our campaign this Pride season in 3 ways:

Reach out to us yourself

We can be contacted free of charge via phone, chat or email. We’re here to talk about anything you want to. Whether you have questions about your sexuality, safer sex and sexual health, gender and identity, mental health or just want to have a natter, get in touch with us. This is your space to feel truly heard.

We share in both the highs and lows. You can also contact us to share moments of joy, first times, and big events happening in your life too!

Tell someone you know about us

We want people to get in touch with us whenever they need to. They might not need us right now, but they might in the future.

Help us to spread the word about our services by telling friends, family, colleagues and strangers about our confidential listening service! Share our name, website and contact details with others so they know that there is an LGBTQIA+ person to speak with when they need them.

Use our active listening skills to hold space for another person this Pride season

Whether it’s someone you know or have only just met, every conversation counts and we want you to feel equipped to hold space and really listen to another person.

To help you do this, we’ve created an A5 flyer which you can download and print here.

Alternatively, if you’d like us to send some of these leaflets to you, get in touch with us, sharing your contact details, and we can post these out to you!

At Switchboard, we promote active listening in all of our conversations.

Here are 5 top tips to get you started:

Ask open questions.

These are questions beginning with “who?”, “when?”, “where?”, “how?” and "what?" which encourage the other person to share more information, rather than 1 or 2 word answers. For example, instead of asking "did that make you feel sad?" you could ask "how did that make you feel?"

Be empathetic.

Identifying when someone is going through a tough time, whilst limiting your own experience and avoiding passing judgement on them is key. You can acknowledge someone’s situation with phrases such as "it sounds like there’s a lot happening for you right now", for example.

Give space.

Don’t rush to fill silences. Let the other person take the lead, and pause if they need time to think and respond.

Be curious.

Demonstrate an interest in what the other person is saying and avoid making any assumptions or coming to conclusions. If in doubt, ask clarifying questions ("what did you mean by that?" or "what does that mean to you?").

Pay attention to your tone.

We generally recommend a calm and neutral tone to make the other person feel comfortable.