Communication skills
Communication is at the heart of all healthy and meaningful connection and relationships. Luckily communication is a skill that we can build, practice, and strengthen. LiveWell has a myriad of ways that Huskies can learn these skills and build reliable habits around communicating with others and resolving misunderstandings or conflicts.
LiveWell teaches skills that help us manage ourselves as individuals, which is the starting point of communication. First, do we know what we want, can we manage what we are feeling, how do we manage rejection, how clearly do we ask for things, how explicitly do we set boundaries, how willing are we to compromise or be flexible, etc. Second, we then move on to teaching skills for relational interactions such as perspective taking, humility for what we don’t know, curiosity for what we don’t understand, and critical thinking when faced with complexity. Third, how can be build the skills that can help us navigate the complexity of communication and conflict such as asking for clarification, not falling into stonewalling or defensiveness, identifying cognitive distortions that can lead to inaccurate narratives, etc. Our Peer Health Educators and Peer Wellness Coaches teach all these skills and more in the diverse programming and education we offer UW Huskies!
LiveWell educates and engages our UW community on strengthening communication skills through the services, events, and resources below:
Services
Peer Health Education Workshops
We have educational workshops that teach vital communication skills and are facilitated by Peer Health Educators. Workshops with specific content to communication strategies are:
- Difficult Conversations
- Healthy Relationships & Dating
- Media Literacy
- Social Connections & Preventing Isolation
Peer Wellness Coaching
Peer Wellness Coaches are always here to support students in a free 1-1 setting with any social-emotional skills students want to develop such as managing conflict, communicating in tough conversations, asserting your needs or boundaries, or practicing radical honesty within our relationships.
Events
LiveWell periodically offers events throughout the year to bring the UW community together. Stay connected via our event calendar, email list, and LiveWell Instagram.
Resources
Huskies Don’t Cancel posters
Huskies Don’t Cancel educational posters, available in print and digital format, help us to build skills to participate in democracy and engage effectively in difficult conversations.
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