Mindful Communication – Listening und Speaking from the Heart

We live in a time where we have to constantly and quickly take in and deal with huge amounts of information. We are bombarded with insights, advice, opinions, information, judgements and so forth. Quite often, we fail to really take in and digest what we hear or read, but respond impulsively with opinions, hasty answers, or defense mechanisms.

This also has an effect on our communication with others. We find it difficult to really listen to others, to let them finish speaking without interrupting them. We are not open for each other, don’t really understand one another but rather have the feeling we must hold our ground and always be prepared to reply.

Mindfulness offers methods that help us to really listen to each other and to open ourselves to what we hear. We can learn to trust that answers will arise from the clear and compassionate space of our heart. Genuine communication allows for the whole spectrum of human emotions and thoughts. Whether someone confesses their love or their fear to us, or even when someone is shouting at us, we can stay in the moment and hold our seat. We don’t have to respond immediately, very intelligently, perfectly wise, or aggressively. In authentic communication, saying “I don’t know”, or “I feel helpless” is completely fine – not a sign of weakness, but a clear statement opening up the space and allowing for contact.

In this workshop we will investigate our personal strengths and weaknesses regarding communication. We practice mindful listening and speaking and discover how we can let our genuineness inform our communication in a responsible way. We listen to our inner resonance – the thoughts, emotions and sensations that come up in communication, and we learn to express them clearly and without bias. This enables an exchange defined by insight, wisdom, and compassion and based on mutual respect.