Effective communication is the foundation of healthy family relationships. The way we communicate with our family members greatly impacts our relationship with them and determines the emotional climate of the home. These daily interactions in turn impact our own moods and happiness.
Although communication is vital, it is very easy to get it wrong. Many of us struggle to understand our loved ones and be understood. This leads to miscommunication which increases conflict or emotional distance; both of which will negatively impact family life.
On the 12th August 2020, CBG organized an online interactive workshop with Sr. Marzia Hassan who is a marriage and family therapist in Ontario, Canada. Having lived, studied and experienced life on three continents, Sr. Marzia combines Western scientific thought and Eastern spiritual wisdom to bring a unique and practical aspect to her work. Sr. Marzia’s works can be found on her website www.marziahassan.org.
The workshop explored what it means to communicate well, what stops us from sharing our thoughts and feelings, how we can immediately improve our communication, as well as practical tools that we can implement to improve communication.
The workshop was well attended, received many feedback from participants and for those who missed this great session, the recording can be found on the Africa Federation Youtube channel on: https://youtu.be/HYgOhvz0dVs
Feedback from participants:
- I was looking forward to participate because communication is key to better relationships and wanted to learn more. I understand better my shortcomings and what I learnt will definitely help me. Yes, I am thinking differently and will definitely practice more on my communication skills.
- Marzia Hasan is a known speaker to me and whenever I get an opportunity to hear her, I do. Loved her tips on dealing with teens and will be incorporating her ideas on better family times on the table.
- I think Marzia bai’s lectures are amazing. The topic is very relevant and practical tips sound reasonable to implement. I feel less negative about having conflicts in the first place. I guess practice makes perfect.
- Communication is a skill that we can always learn on improving. If we learn to share our minds effectively, and in a timely manner we can avoid misunderstanding and deal with compassion with all of us, including ourselves. Love yourself, to love others.
CBG Secretariat
August 2020