What’s Beneath Our Words?

20- to 45-minute presentation

This 20- to 45-minute presentation explores not just our words, but the often unspoken messages beneath them. It may include large and/or small group discussion.

Remembering Ourselves

1- to 2.5-hour mini-retreat

In this mini-retreat, participants are guided through a process to connect with their whole selves through meditation, Cards for Remembering (created by Cory), journaling, and sharing. Longer versions may include guided creative play.

Exploring Comfort Zones

45- to 90-minute workshop

In this 45- to 90-minute workshop participants explore comfort zones through a lens of compassion. Participants consider how the zone someone is in may influence behavior and interactions. It includes active self-exploration and application of the concepts.

Creating Conversations that Connect

2-hour workshop

 

This 2-hour workshop introduces a framework for finding connection through challenging conversations- whether at home, in the workplace, or somewhere else- while standing firmly in our own values and integrity. Using these strategies opens possibilities for win-win outcomes. 

The workshop includes:

  • A brief outline of the framework

  • Introduction of strategies (with handouts)

  • Modeling of the practices

  • Discussion (large and/or small group)

Can We Talk?

Tools for Difficult (and Everyday!) Conversations

4-hour workshop

 

This workshop is an extended version of Creating Conversations that Connect and includes multiple practice opportunities.

This 4-hour workshop introduces a Nonviolent/Compassionate Communication (NVC) framework to explore strategies for finding connection through challenging conversations, while standing firmly in our own values and integrity.

The workshop includes:

  • A brief outline of the framework

  • Introduction of strategies for maintaining connection with self and others

  • Modeling of the practices

  • Discussion (large and/or small group)

  • Small-group practice and debriefing

This workshop is participatory with an emphasis on practice. Participants will be invited into the courageous space of reflection, discussion, and experimentation through role plays.

Meeting in the Field:

Compassionate Communication

8 hours, can be offered as 4 sessions or over 2 days.

 

We live in a time of deep divisions that are both caused and exacerbated by messages of shame, blame, judgment, and criticism. We feel these divisions both within ourselves and as we interact with others.

Are you longing to move beyond the paradigms of shame and blame and have constructive dialogues- both within yourself and with others?

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

- Rumi

Meeting in the field beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing, we practice opening our hearts more widely and bringing greater discernment into the way we speak with (and about) ourselves and others. Compassionate Communication offers tools and skills for the practice.

In this four-session class, you will begin to learn the art and practice of Compassionate Communication, as developed by Marshall Rosenberg. The primary goal of Compassionate Communication is mindful connection with yourself and others, in order that everyone’s needs can be honored and addressed. As with any practice, you’ll have leaps forward, stumbles, successes, mistakes, and, with some self-reflection, lots of learning.

This class, focused both on your relationship with yourself and your relationships with others, is highly participatory with an emphasis on practice. Each week focuses on one of the four central aspects of Compassionate Communication, observation, feelings, needs, and requests, and you will practice different skills centered on the themes:

  • Introduction and Observations beneath Observations: What is Compassionate Communication and what are we not seeing when we look?

  • Honoring Feelings: How can we tap into the wisdom of our feelings?

  • Noticing Needs: How can we cultivate awareness and appreciation of our needs?

  • Making Requests to Meet Needs: How can we make requests to meet our needs?

This class is participatory with an emphasis on practice.

This Being Human:

Welcoming All Parts of Us

8 hours, can be offered as 4 sessions or over 2 days.

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

- Rumi

How do you respond when joy, depression, meanness, and other emotions come into your being?

Do you wish to be more skillful in welcoming and entertaining them all?

This four-session class is a follow-up to Meeting in the Field: An Introduction to Compassionate Communication and focuses on bringing the four elements of Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Requests together to help you more fully integrate them into your daily interactions. As with any practice, you’ll have leaps forward, stumbles, successes, mistakes, and, with some self-reflection, lots of learning.

This class, focused both on your relationship with yourself and your relationships with others, is highly participatory with an emphasis on practice. You’ll see the skills modeled and then work in small groups to try them out yourself. This Being Human centers on the following themes:

  • Receiving Difficult Messages: What are the four ways to receive difficult messages and how can we move from responses that disconnect us to ones that connect us?

  • Practice Self-Empathy: How can we work with and begin to transform the unkind messages we say to ourselves?

  • Gaining Perspective in Challenging Conversations: How can we go into challenging conversations feeling grounded, clear, and empowered for connection? In order to give ample time for practice and experimentation, this theme carries over two sessions.