Compassionate Communication

Compassionate Communication

Join us for an enlightening workshop on compassionate communication with the amazing Andrea Vander Pluym! Learn how to improve your relationships and connect more deeply with others through effective communication techniques. This three part in-person series will take place on Wednesdays, November 6, 12, 20, 2024 at 3:15 at the beautiful Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your communication skills and cultivate more meaningful connections in your life!

“Compassion is the radicalism of our age.”

—His Holiness the Dalai Lama

As more and more communication happens over devices, it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in human-to-human conversations that might involve conflict. Join grades teacher Andrea Vander Pluym in a three-part Compassionate Communication workshop, and discover how we can help create deeper connections with ourselves and others.

Please note that this series is open only to parents of children attending Summerfield, and that each session is a prerequisite for the next session. Childcare is available and must be arranged in advance.

Session 1

We will familiarize ourselves with the ideas of empathy, participatory languaging and spectator languaging. Attendees will be given an opportunity to privately explore their own roots of communication, and learn how family and outside culture help shape the full spectrum of our communications. Attendees will be guided in two form drawings, and the booklet “Compassionate Communication,” by John Cunningham, will be provided.

Session 2

After warming up with some grounding and fun movement games, we will review the learning from the Session 1 and do some role plays of both verbal and body language. We will learn about the four steps of Compassionate Communication: Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests.

Session 3

We will revisit the central themes from the previous session through a sculptural exercise where we model two figures communicating. Attendees will engage in private self-reflection with guided questions for identifying areas where shifts could be possible, and when outside help can be useful. We will also explore Summerfield’s communication agreement through the lens of our mutual learning, and how that looks in everyday interactions amongst teachers, parents and students. We will end our workshop with a eurythmy exercise taught by TK.

About Andrea

Before becoming a teacher, Andrea studied non-violent communication (NVC), authored three self-help books for young adults, and helped youth in Juvenile Hall and organizations for marginalized teens write their stories. Her most widely read book, Respect, has been translated into several languages and was honored in a White House ceremony by President Obama. Andrea’s personal journey with communication had a very rocky start, and she’s deeply humbled by the every-day opportunities to learn, grow and connect with heart.

Host or Publisher Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm