Life is communication (2)

The first day of my training in communication and personal effectiveness. The trainer skipped the normal introductions. Instead, we had to observe each other and then share our impressions along six points: what does this person want to learn at the course, what's his/her job/profession, age, private circumstances, character and hobbies. In Christian circles we might call this prophecy, but in this setting (depending on your gifts) it's a matter of social sensitivity or better guesswork.

Anyway I had an easy job 'reading' the person opposite, because she was so extrovert. The others had more difficulty with me. They thought I was an unmarried computer nerd who loves to play volleyball and doesn't have a strong mind of his own. Thank you, guys. The only thing that was spot-on is the fact that I'm sometimes hard to read and quite flegmatic. Anyway, it was a funny exercise, which at least confirmed that I could be more expressive.

In the afternoon we talked about communication levels and how in many situations the relational process or undercurrent is moving (or not moving) a conversation. You cannot solve problems in the undercurrent by talking content, but have to consciously tap into the undercurrent and bring it into the conversation. The trainer used our group dynamics to show his point. A good way to learn.