Fostering Community through Conversation
“Fostering Community through Conversation” is our latest project. This is a workshop on the UVIC campus in the Multifaith Centre, at the main entrance to Finnerty Gardens, on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30. There are questions and skills that really help conversations take off.
I wrote the book on having authentic conversation: ” Hi! Conversation Changes Lives”. It’s available at the workshop at a special workshop price of $20. My TED talk on making the shift to authentic conversation preceeded the book, and was so well received.
As shared in my book: Here are some earlier moments students had with people they’d never met before.
How this training will help you talk with people you don’t know, and those you know very well.
Come and meet new people, learn some new skills and see how you can use this no matter who you are and where you go. Those who show an interest and commitment may be interested in our Conversation Ambassador training.
Examples of the impact of using these skills of reaching out/ speaking up for yourself..
Paying Attention to Others
Fostering Community on a city bus
Colliding with generous people: advice from a cab driver
I just came in to say that recently I’ve came to a conclusion that the meetings we’ve had at UVIC have changed the way I talk with people.
Before that, I enjoyed talking about deep topics, but always struggled to get into them in the first place. Now pretty much in every more valuable convo I have, I find myself asking at least one of the questions we’ve covered at the course, and always manage to make the conversation at least a bit more interesting and engaging…
…and thank you for that, Christopher!
I volunteered to help hold space for any students concerned about a violent attack. It turned out that while no students turned up, this time with the other counselor turned into a rich, unique exploration and sharing, that busy schedules rarely allow. This was not a one-off, but subsequent sessions were equally rich with another counselor as well. Rare times.