From Conflict to Connection: Transforming Personal Conversations
- give you the confidence and capacity to open or reopen often-avoided topics and conversations in your life.
- help you become attuned to the gap between what you say and what others "hear" when you communicate.
Most of us have people in our lives with whom we don't talk for fear of ending up in greater conflict. The more we try, the more we find ourselves stuck in the same conversation, feeling helpless, hopeless, angry and/or resigned. Stressful conversations may involve family members, friends, neighbors or work colleagues. Sometimes it seems that nothing we do will make the conversation go better.
This experiential workshop teaches skills for constructive conversations and offers an opportunity to work on a particularly challenging relationship or situation of your choosing. It provides a theoretical framework, strategies, practical tips, and the chance to practice. Instructors will demonstrate the approach and offer individualized coaching.
Discuss:
- your motivation for wanting to engage in challenging conversations.
- the difficulty in staying present when a conversation triggers old patterns or unhelpful, automatic responses.
- the neuropsychology of why it's difficult to remain rational and calm during an intense conversation.
- your “identity story,” in order to understand some crucial aspects of what you want to believe about yourself.
- to speak clearly about your own feelings and experiences.
- to invite others to speak about their feelings and experiences.
- to make room for different perspectives.
- learning in a group setting led by skilled facilitators.
- coached practice through each stage of the “new” conversation you want to have.