Communication Skills Workshops

The main aim of all the workshops we run for our kids in Warsaw and Łódź is to develope new skills and competences in young people. They are supposed to prepare them for an independent future in the best possible way. The topic of the last few meetings has been communication. After all, in everyday life, regardless of age, you have to get along with the world!

How do you communicate yourself (also online)?

Fine feathers make fine birds? How do you show your passions and dreams where everyone is in the spotlight, i.e. in social media? This is what a group of our mentees in Łódź learned from an expert in communications and PR.

It turned out that even at a young age, it is possible to show ourselves to the world as competent in topics we are passionate about. Our profile can give the audience valuable information and knowledge, and give us the opportunity to build our personal brand (sounds serious, right?).

We can share our passion for football, cooking, dancing with the world. It was wonderful to watch the workshop participants’ eyes light up more and more. Everyone was very involved in the workshop and outdid themselves with ideas for their future and for themselves.

What surprised most was the story of one of our girls. At the beginning of the workshop she was withdrawn. She didn’t want to share her plans.

“I don’t know what I’ll be doing tomorrow morning, let alone in a few years?” – she asked.

However, it only took a little time and to make interesting conversation at the workshop for the mentee to open up. She began to talk about her dream. It is to create her own dance studio, which she is already working towards, as she has started a choreography course. That is quite an impressive plan to communicate! We picked our jaws off the floor.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for the dreams of all workshop participants!

How to talk when the topic is very difficult?

Not every conversation in our lives will be easy. However, even those that will be a great challenge can be prepared for. The techniques of difficult conversations were honed by our mentees from Warsaw (under the guidance of a crisis communication specialist!).

The group learned the importance of starting a message with “I” instead of “you”.

(“I am saddened by your words”, instead of “you keep picking on me!”).

We practised proposing solutions instead of throwing unnecessary accusations and taunts. An important moment of the workshop was an exercise that made the group realise how much we have in common as people (including those people we find difficult to get along with).

This is how I found out that the recipe for having any difficult conversation well is the three-word rule:

“Love”, “Human”, “Banana”. 

Sounds enigmatic? Perhaps, but after all, we can’t give away all the workshop techniques. ? 

Most importantly, our kids are already putting their new skills into practice in conversations with friends, teachers and also with their independence assistants at the Foundation.

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In Łódź, the Foundation’s activities are made possible by the project “Dobry Początek” (“Good Begining”) co-financed by the European Union as part of the Regional Operational Programme of the Łódzkie Voivodeship 2014 – 2020.

In Warsaw the Foundation’s activities are made possible thanks to funding from the Capital City of Warsaw.