Participant Comments

“I have already observed dividends in my personal and professional life.”

“Dan was a great leader and teacher, demonstrating the strategies throughout his facilitation.”

“The overviews and bite-size chapters was manageable with my current workload.”

“This is the best way to communicate professionally, and is a win-win for all parties.”

“I learned a lot about healthy and effective communication.”

“I have already shared some principles with my project team.”

“This has encouraged me to be more mindful of situations I am experiencing and how I react.”

“It has shown me options for responding that are new and different than my default modes of communication, which I hadn't questioned or reflected much on in the past.”

“The workshop allowed me to gain skills to handle crucial conversations more effectively and safely.”

“I would recommend the class to anyone that is looking for ways to strengthen their communications skills on all levels.”

“This is a much-needed course for staff, managers, and senior leaders.”

“Many leaders will state they do not have the time, but as an organization, we cannot afford to not take the time.”

“If this is not deemed a priority we will continue to lose quality staff because of miscommunications or lack of communication and/or feedback.”

“I expect to carry the core tenets of this mode of communication with me for a lifetime.”

“I used the tools in real conversation!”

“I recognize now that there were many times where I perceived I was being crystal clear, yet disappointed with the results. I see that there are many ways I can improve the clarity of my communications to achieve the results I want.“

“This course made me stop and reflect on my current communication practices.”

“I felt as though I was a good communicator, but did not realize that if I were going into a crucial conversation, I focused on my safety more than the other person's and that you can walk away if necessary to bring feelings of safety back into the conversation prior to continuing.”

“The chance to practice the skills discussed in the readings weekly was extremely helpful.”

“Dan's facilitation of the sessions was also both positive and helpful, due to the insights and perspectives he brought to the discussions.”

“Thoroughly enjoyed the breakout exercises and the opportunity to interact with different participants.”

“The homework assignments were helpful. They assisted me in being more intentional in using the skills learned in my interactions with others professionally and personally.”

“Dan was a positive aspect of the workshop. His calm presentation style made the sessions feel inviting and also made one feel comfortable in sharing experiences.”

“This is a needed communications piece for internal as well as external conversations with staff and clients.”

“I can now acknowledge what I am feeling and needing from an interaction, but also empathize more with others' feelings and needs. Realizing that it is my responsibility to vocalize what I would like to see happen as we continue to work together. Be it work or home.”

“Many leaders will state they do not have the time, but as an organization we cannot afford to not take the time.”

“If this is not deemed a priority, we will continue to lose quality staff because of miscommunications or lack of communication and/or feedback.”

“The workshop allowed me to gain skills to handle crucial conversations more effectively and safely. I would recommend the class to anyone that is looking for ways to strengthen their communications skills on all levels.”

“Building a concrete methodological framework for how to communicate in different situations, and then practicing those methodologies.”

“The discussions were really good! It was great to include staff from all levels of our organization.”

“I want to use what I have learned to give better and more consistent feedback. I also want to make a shift from the ways that I typically react to stressful situations, and I think that this course has given me the tools I need to do so.”

“I gained tools I need to more clearly and effectively communicate professionally and personally.”

“I was able to identify my own communications ‘bad habits’ and make an initial attempt to break those habits.”

“Great content and I liked interacting with peers in a meaningful way.”

“The most helpful and positive aspects were sharing the real-time challenges of this approach. This is a lifelong skill that requires practice.”

“Keeping one another accountable and providing space to be vulnerable was crucial for this workshop. It was helpful, especially during covid-times, to develop and hone the capability of providing empathy to others and myself.”

“I felt a big change in the way I observe communication now. I may need practice doing it myself and how to help myself and people around me change how they talk, but the biggest part, was just knowing that there is a better way to communicate if I just learned how. After that, it was the ability to practice and hear examples.”

“This taught me to take the time to better look at my wording in emails and the way I communicate over other means.”

“Great facilitator! Managed to foster a camaraderie amongst this group, which is challenging to achieve virtually.”

“I really enjoyed engaging with my peers around communication skills. I learned a lot and was able to start applying my new knowledge the first day.”

“My communication is clearer. I have the ability to provide myself empathy when I am hurt yet without letting my emotions derail the conversation.”

“I think this will help solve so many issues with silos, misconceptions, and roadblocks. I would recommend this class to anyone willing to take this journey.”

“I hope my colleagues have the opportunity to complete this training to so we can all become better communicators together.”

“I think this content is widely applicable and is crucial for the success of any organization.”

“Now, I can be more transparent with my feelings and needs and to communicate in ways that exhibit empathy while still holding true to what I am needing from the relationship or interaction.”

“This workshop was an eye-opening experience, both personally and professionally. Having the opportunity to learn, reflect, and share with a group of like-minded individuals on a topic as crucial as communication - something we do all day every day! - was extremely impactful, and I will continue to draw upon the skills I learned in this workshop for years to come.”

“I hope this is something that we will institute organization-wide and that all staff at all levels will immerse themselves in so that we come out the other end as a stronger, more efficient, more effective, and more inclusive organization.”

“I began to apply what I learned starting with the first reading and class session!”

“This is the best way to communicate professionally and is a win-win for all parties. I have already shared some principles with my project team.”

“Even great communicators can benefit from this workshop.”

“You will learn how to communicate more effectively both in your professional and personal lives.”

“In the workplace, these principles can be applied to client management, group facilitation, internal team communication and culture and giving and receiving feedback.”

“The approach is straight-forward and digestible and does not require a huge amount of time to understand and practice.”

“I recommend the workshop to anyone.”

“The readings were all very helpful. The exercises included in the workshops were all very helpful to put the readings into practice.”

“I think this will be really helpful for coaching some of the staff I work with.”

“As a new supervisor I think this will be helpful. I also think this will be applicable for some of the clients I work with on my project.”

“The format helped to ensure accountability (i.e. making sure I actually showed up and practiced).”

“Self-directed reading, authentic conversations with other participants and real-life examples, relaxed/informal tone of the meetings--it felt like a special space to pause and reflect within the context of a busy work day.”

“Dan let participants guide the conversation, taking more or less time depending on what we needed.”

“An unplanned-for element was the realization that all of us go through similar thoughts, feelings, and experiences (both personally and professionally) that we normally don't have the chance to talk about or to reconsider better ways of handling.”

“This has encouraged me to be more mindful of situations I am experiencing and how I react. It has shown me options for responding that are new and different than my default modes of communication, which I hadn't questioned or reflected much on in the past.”

“These tools can help us to be authentic and empathetic in our conversations, honest with ourselves and others, and ultimately encourage more person-to-person communications, rather communicating ‘just to get something done.’”

“I liked Dan's approach--It always felt like he was learning along with us, while asking guiding questions and reminding us of resources & methods without being overly instructional. He shared his own hits and misses, which made us all feel more comfortable sharing ours.”

“I expect to carry the core tenets of this mode of communication with me for a lifetime.”

“I used the tools in real conversation!”

“The most positive aspect and helpful thing was from the very beginning, just learning that this concept exists. I don't think many people have had this perspective before.”

“I also like that I learned how to better provide praise. I think that was very useful so that people can continue to know what they need to do to continue to meet your needs.”

“Instructor was great! The way Dan led the class met our needs for knowledge, fun, and he set the tone for an open and friendly atmosphere.”

“I think everyone should learn the concepts of this workshop. This course opened my mind to a new way of communicating. Before the class and readings, I had never paid attention to the inefficient ways people communicate, but now that's all I hear.”

“This course showed me the techniques I need to better understand myself and others and that our frustrations often stem from our unmet human needs.”

“I really want to share and spread this knowledge with people I care about.”

“I know now that if I am frustrated that I need to take a step back, take a breath, and take the time to better understand what my unmet needs are.”