The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern
Oren Jay Sofer visits the Road Home Podcast for a conversation about integrating our spiritual practices into how we communicate.
CLEAR ALL
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Conflict doesn’t mean the end of your remarriage, and can actually make it stronger. There are always going to be disagreements; you cannot avoid them entirely. What you can do, however, is become skilled at recovering from disputes by talking about your perspectives afterwards.
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A short talk on how shift from ways of using power in our interactions that are defensive and lead to power struggle to gaining far greater power by using non-defensive communication skills.
Defensiveness lives in our bodies; It’s not just a matter of controlling ourselves; the minute we feel any kind of threat it takes over. So how to we get rid of it?
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We are used to asking questions in ways that convey judgment and/or are interrogating or entrapping. Much of the body language and tone we use is unconscious. To be real, a question needs to be based on pure curiosity, but it's easier said than done.
Sharon Strand Ellison, the author of Taking the War Out of Our Words, is a pioneer in the field of eliminating defensiveness. An international communication consultant and award-winning speaker, Sharon is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Powerful Non-Defensive Communication.
Whether we are dealing with a rude clerk, our child saying, “That’s not fair!,” our spouse ignoring us, or an uncooperative co-worker, in our struggle to respond effectively, we often become defensive—sometimes without even realizing it.
Passive-aggressive people: Could you be one of them? Passive-aggressive people don't get mad, they get even. When conflict triggers an emotional response, the passive-aggressive pattern is for revenge, by some form of sabotage.
There’s a gap between what you’re really thinking and what you’re saying. You’re distracted by all that’s going on inside and you’re uncertain about what to share and what’s better left unsaid.
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The definitive guide to learning effective skills for engaging in open and honest conversations about divisive issues from three professional mediators.