ABSTRACT
The student participates in a one-to-one mock meeting with their supervisor on the first day of a work experience placement. For deaf students using BSL, if an interpreter is present at the meeting, explain that they should imagine that they have not met the interpreter before, and will need to communicate with them in a formal way. The aim here is to test the students' skills in explaining that they need to lip read. The 'middle' set of skills, where information is given, can be tackled last, once the students already feel confident about the other skills. Students need to learn to think actively and remember how to prepare themselves for meetings. The SmiLE Therapy module teaches students how to make a positive first impression, how to ensure that they understand and can retain important information, what to do if there is a breakdown in communication, and how to manage an unplanned communication exchange.
