How do we take the war out of our words? Sharon Strand Ellison's Powerful Non-Defensive Communication approach highlights our natural defensive reaction to feeling unsure, anxious or attacked when communicating with others.
She outlines these six different defensive reactions:
2019-01-22
by Donna Benjamin
I recently passed a milestone in the journey of my career. I've now spent over two years as a formal "Business Analyst" or "BA" here at Catalyst IT. In actuality, I've been a BA for a lot longer than that. Running my own business for 20 years meant I was performing the tasks of business analysis with every client, on every project. I just didn't have a name for it back then.
So what is Business Analysis? And what do Business Analysts do? I am so glad you asked.
Let's start with some definitions.
Six years and 9 months... is a relatively long time. Not as long as some things, longer than others. Relative. As is everything.
But Six years and 9 months is the length of time I've been on the board of the Drupal Association.
Imagine you work in a hardware store. You notice a customer puzzling over the vast array of electric drills.
She turns to you and says, I need a drill, but I don’t know which one to pick.
You ask “So, why do you want a drill?
“To make a hole.” she replies, somewhat exasperated. “Isn’t that obvious?”
“Sure,” you might say, “But why do you want to drill a hole? It might help us decide which drill you need!”
"Oh, okay," and she goes on to describe the need to thread cable from one room, to another.
The time has come
To say fairs fair...
Dear members of the committee,
Please listen to the Uluru statement from the heart. Please hear those words. Please accept them, please act to adopt them.
Enshrine a voice for Australia’s first nation peoples in the Australian constitution.
Create a commission for Makarrata.
Invest in uncovering and telling the truth of our history.
We will be a stronger, wiser nation when we truly acknowledge the frontier wars and not only a stolen generation but stolen land, and stolen hope.
I'm angry and defensive. I don't know why. So I'm trying hard to figure that out right now.
Here's some words.
I'm writing these words for myself to try and figure this out.
I'm hoping these words might help make it clear.
I'm fearful these words will make it worse.
But I don't want to be silent about this.
Content Warning: This post refers to genocide.
I'm going to Nashville!!
That is all. Carry on. Or... better yet - you should come too!
Update: Video of this talk is now available.
Communication is a skill most of us practice every day.
Often without realising we're doing it.
Rarely intentionally.
Ever since I heard this month’s #AusGlamBlog theme was “Happiness” I’ve had that Happy song stuck in my head.
“Clap along if you know what happiness is to you”
I’m new to the library world as a professional, but not new to libraries. A sequence of fuzzy memories swirl in my mind when I think of libraries.
First, was my local public library children’s cave filled with books that glittered with colour like jewels.
