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I am doing an advice column in a school project and i don't know what to do!
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Want to answer more questions in the Work & School category?
Maybe give some free advice about: School?
You'll need to tell me more about this school project. Are you answering hypothetical questions that you have to make up, or have you been given a set of problems that you've been asked to give advice to?
If you are acting agony aunt, the best advice is usually what comes from the heart. Normally when you hear a problem you have a gut reaction, and that's normally the best advice. If you are stumped by the problems being asked, imagine how you would respond if a friend was asking you what they should do in the same situation.
Half of a good advice column however is the tone it's written in. You want to be friendly, sympathetic and open-minded. The tone of your responses will decide whether more people write in to your column, so keep things nice. Never tell somebody that they've done something wrong even if you personally do not approve of their actions. A good columist will offer advice rather then telling the person they've done something wrong or being disaproving.
Remember that these are people's problems, and so empathy is paramount. You might think the solution to the problem is simple, or that the person just needs to pull themselves together, but this is rarely either what a person either wants or needs to hear. Be sympathetic and have a kind tone whatever your message is.
My final piece of advice is to not be afraid to suggest other places a person could go for help. It is useful to have a list of helpline numbers on your advice page which people can call for more immediate help. There is a good list at [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) . If you are unsure about how to answer a question, then it is better to advise a person to call a relevant helpline then bluff them with advice that might be bad or irrelevant to them.
Mainly though just give advice from the heart, and I'm sure your column will be a great success. Good luck! I'm here if you need more help.
Hailey
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