Tag: communication

Moving Through Difficult Conversations

Moving Through Difficult Conversations

Paul Hebert

Aug 17, 2014

Paul Hebert (Case Manager for the Palo Alto and Los Altos Mediation Programs, www.paloaltomediation.com, which are administered by Project Sentinel, www.housing.org) will briefly describe the services available through Project Sentinel and the Mediation Programs. Then he will describe the key elements of communication skills which mediators model and support to help resolve conversations that have gotten off track. He and a panel of other mediators will then take questions from the audience about challenging communication scenarios they have experienced, and describe how a mediator would approach those conversations.

For a copy of Paul’s handout provided at the forum click here

Humanist Community Forum (2014-08-17): Moving Through Difficult Conversations (Paul Hebert, Jeffrey P. Blum) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Anne Bers

Communication Styles: It’s Your Choice!

Anne Bers

July 14, 2013

Anne Bers
Anne Bers

Consider how much time you spend each week talking on the phone, sending emails, attending meetings or appointments and interacting with friends, colleagues, family members or the person who rings up your groceries — in other words, communicating with others.
Do you find yourself involved in frequent disagreements?  Do interactions with others often feel one-sided or incomplete?  Do you wish people understood you better?

Turns out, it’s all about choice.  Having a variety of communication styles at our fingertips can enhance our relationships, help us feel understood and get us what we want or need. If we could pick and choose when to collaborate, when to compete, and when to avoid, we would be better equipped to navigate the various situations of life.  The key is to actively choose how we want to respond, instead of letting any one approach rule our lives.

In this lively, interactive workshop, you’ll:

  • Learn about different communication styles
  • Identify your preferred style and the styles of others
  • Practice applying different styles in common situations

Best of all, you’ll expand your communication choices so you can get through each interaction, activity and project in a more satisfying and effective way.

Anne Bers is the Director of Mediation and Facilitation Services at the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, in San Mateo. She has worked as a professional communicator and consultant to government agencies, corporations and small businesses, and holds a Bachelor’s in English from the State University of New York and a Master’s in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Click here for a copy of the handout.

 

Click here to view the slides.