What other people say and do affects us constantly, whether they are family, friends, neighbours or colleagues. These relationships can be wonderful. They can also be difficult, confusing, stressful and tiring.

Local community group Let's Talk offer regular sessions teaching tools and approaches to make tricky conversations easier, and hopefully more productive for everyone involved. All Let's Talk members have had training in listening skills and restorative conversations. These skills can be applied to almost any situation, facilitating positive and constructive communication.

For those new to the approach, the Let's Talk team run introductory sessions throughout the year. The next session takes place on Sunday 30^th November from 10am to 12pm at Frome Library. For those who already know a little about Let's Talk, or who have a particular area of communication they'd like to explore, there are themed workshops on Thursday 26^th September (Reflective Practice), Thursday 31^st October (Social Relationships) and Thursdays 28^th November (Drama Triangle). All themed workshops run from 6.30pm to 8pm at Frome Town Hall. Let's Talk sessions are free to attend, although booking is essential.

A previous group member said: "Learning about these skills gave me the confidence to take on a tricky conversation around a family situation that I had been putting off for years. Just keeping in mind a few of these tools while I did it, helped it go so much better. And now that the tension has been addressed, we're all a lot more 'ourselves' with each other. I wish I had learnt about this years ago!'

Let's Talk also provide a free downloadable toolkit which explains some of the skills you will be encouraged to develop. They might help you change a difficult conversation into a useful one, or help you work through something worrying with a family member or a neighbour.

Find out more about Let's Talk and access booking links for forthcoming sessions at https://bit.ly/lets-talk-2024.