Talks & Training
Since 1974, we have handled millions of conversations with people across the UK, talking about almost every topic imaginable. To facilitate these conversations we have honed our training around active listening, creating safe spaces and providing tangible skills to support people from many different backgrounds and experiences. We are excited to share our Talks and Training programme with you and your organisation to help your colleagues and teams feel more empowered to support one another.
After reaching the incredible milestone of turning 50 in 2024, Switchboard is excited to share our decades of experience and knowledge with organisations to help build a society where everyone can feel heard and thrive!
Empower your team with Switchboard's 50 years of invaluable insights supporting and listening to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Request our brochureWhether you're looking to deepen your team's understanding of LGBTQIA+ communities, develop practical workplace skills or inspire meaningful conversations, Switchboard's talks and training are designed to help.
For more than 50 years, Switchboard has been listening to LGBTQIA+ communities. Those conversations have given us a unique understanding of the experiences, challenges and barriers people face, as well as the power of being truly heard. We've brought those insights together to create engaging talks and practical training that help organisations build more inclusive, supportive workplaces.
From exploring LGBTQIA+ history and celebrating Pride to developing active listening skills, inclusive leadership and confidence in handling difficult conversations, our sessions are informative, interactive and tailored to meet the needs of your organisation.
Training
Lunch & Learn
Perfect for building awareness, allyship and more inclusive workplaces.
Half Day
Ideal for longer term development opportunities such as active listening and challenging bias.
Online or in-person
All sessions are available online or in person to suit your organisation.
Active Listening
We are excited to bring this expertise to your organisation, supporting your teams to become better listeners, and enabling colleagues to be better allies, colleagues and leaders.
Challenging Bias and Handling Difficult Conversations
Building on the active listening skills above, this session further develops these ideas to look at challenging conversations within the workplace, whether about performance or challenging bias.
The session outlines some of the many forms of bias that can be seen in the workplace, how to identify them, and how to challenge them in a professional and mutually beneficial manner.
Download our brochure today
Inclusive Leadership and Managing Diverse Teams
Leading a team, department or even organisation can be very rewarding, but comes with it's own set of unique challenges.
Building on the work on the two sessions above, this session goes deeper into thinking about what it means to lead a team of people who might have various needs, barriers and unique perspectives to bring to the table, and how you might support and harness their skills.
Download our brochure today
Talks
One hour
Bite size sessions for lunch & learns, team building or simply raising awareness.
Online or in-person
We love to meet people in person, and equally happy to provide remote sessions.
Suitable for all audiences
Accessible talks that build understanding and spark meaningful conversations.
LGBTQIA+ History and the Switchboard Story
Take a look back at the last 50+ years of LGBTQIA+ history, and the changing landscape of LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK, through the lens of the Switchboard service.
Participants will leave with an increased understanding of the key milestones in LGBTQIA+ history and how Switchboard offers support for the community.
Download our brochure today
Pride and the LGBTQIA+ Community Today
Reflect on what Pride is really about, and understand the state of the LGBTQIA+ community today through data and insights found in Switchboard’s most recent Listen Up! Report.
Participants will get a first-hand insight into what the LGBTQIA+ communities in the UK are exploring, worried about, seeking to understand and fighting for based on thousands of conversations with Switchboard volunteers.
Download our brochure today
