What's New in Communication Research?
Communication in face-to-face dialogue is the essential tool of many practitioners, such as
Despite the vital role communication plays in these interactions, there is typically little contact between these practitioners and state-of-the-art communication research in other fields. We have developed a workshop that applies a new, evidence-based view of communication to actual practice. In addition to being evidence-based, this new approach to dialogue is a good fit for practice:
This workshop introduces what research tells us about several basic dialogue processes– tools that all practitioners use:
The workshop format is highly interactive and practical. New information is presented with videotaped examples from the participants’ field (e.g., psychotherapy, medicine, supervision) and followed with exercises that illustrate the principles.
Options:
- psychotherapists and counselors
- health care professionals (physicians, nurses)
- trainers, supervisors, and coaches
- teachers and educators
Despite the vital role communication plays in these interactions, there is typically little contact between these practitioners and state-of-the-art communication research in other fields. We have developed a workshop that applies a new, evidence-based view of communication to actual practice. In addition to being evidence-based, this new approach to dialogue is a good fit for practice:
- We focus on communication in dialogue as collaborative and co-constructive, rather than as separate individual actions.
- The approach is descriptive rather than prescriptive. The research is showing that people are naturally skillful at communication, so we focus on describing and observing how they do it.
This workshop introduces what research tells us about several basic dialogue processes– tools that all practitioners use:
- Questions: how questions carry implicit presuppositions, which contribute to the co-construction of the dialogue.
- Formulations: how paraphrasing or reflecting are not neutral; they inevitably formulate a somewhat altered version of what was said.
- Listening responses: how the variety of options (and even the most minimal responses) influence the ongoing dialogue.
- Grounding: how conversational partners naturally collaborate, moment by moment, to establish common ground.
The workshop format is highly interactive and practical. New information is presented with videotaped examples from the participants’ field (e.g., psychotherapy, medicine, supervision) and followed with exercises that illustrate the principles.
Options:
- This is a two-day workshop offered in English.
- We also offer a one-day version with fewer topics.
- If translation is required, the one-day version works well over two days. All exercises allow the participants to work in the language they are most comfortable with.
