Word-Dancing Together Towards Noble Outcomes

  Referral Letter🧭  Empathy in Action What aikido teaches us for challenging interactions The Communication Doctor's Referral Letter In every work environment, moments of tension arise. A critical remark in a meeting. An unexpected objection. A conversation that keeps replaying in your mind afterwards. You know you could have handled it differently, with more calm, clarity, and strength. We often already know the principles of good communication. But knowing is not the same as doing. Especially not in challenging situations, where body and mind seem to go their separate ways. A training or workshop on empathy starts from a simple but powerful question: How do you choose empathy with people for whom it does not come naturally? To explore this, we draw on an Eastern perspective: aikido, a Japanese martial art that focuses on connection rather than conflict. Not by giving in, but by moving with. Not by convincing the other, but by making a different course of interaction possi...

The Communication Doctor's keynotes are thought-opening sessions with a scientific backbone. They can be delivered as a keynote, a public lecture, or a facilitated reflection session, depending on the context. The series below consists of four talks that can each stand on their own, while also forming a continuous reflection on language, culture, interaction, and meaning. The keynotes are available in Dutch, English, German, and, where appropriate, French. Keynotes with backbone | Communication Doctor 1. Intercultural Communication Under the Lens What we really need beyond clichés about language and culture Intercultural communication is not a niche. We engage in it every day, often without naming it as such: in everyday encounters and in professional collaboration. Sometimes it flows naturally, sometimes it breaks down. In this talk, Communication Doctor Greet examines what intercultural communication actually is and why some popular ideas about it prove too simplistic. What...

We denken soms dat we eerst zelf volledig rustig moeten worden en pas daarna met anderen kunnen omgaan. Alsof regulatie iets puur individueels is. In werkelijkheid ligt het genuanceerder. We hebben een zekere graad van zelfregulatie nodig om in interactie te kunnen stappen. En tegelijk is er goed nieuws: eenmaal in interactie kan coregulatie onze zelfregulatie verder versterken. Voorwaarde is wel dat die interactie een minimale graad van rust, zachtheid en veiligheid bevat. Wat is coregulatie? Coregulatie is het proces waarbij mensen elkaar helpen reguleren . Via houding, stem, timing, afstand, aandacht en contact beïnvloeden we voortdurend elkaars spanning en rust. Dat gebeurt grotendeels onbewust. Wanneer iemand gespannen is, voelen we dat. Wanneer iemand vertraagt, kan dat ook ons vertragen. Lichamen stemmen zich op elkaar af, soms subtiel, soms heel zichtbaar. Coregulatie is geen techniek die je toepast op een ander. Het is een relationeel proces waarin je zelf altijd deel ...