Every time I find myself having a ‘difficult’ conversation with a student who is on the verge of disclosing something which is cause for concern it has always followed my keynote. I have just spent the past 45 minutes sharing my story and as a result created a sense of connection and common ground between myself and the student.
Many teaching staff have said after I have submitted the relevant paper work following a student disclosure, “How did you do it?” or “We’ve been trying to get him/her to tell us what is happening for the past few weeks/months with no result”. I always smile and say “Open your heart and share a little with them and they will share all with you”.