Communication Toolkit

The following Communication Toolkit outlines the various spiritual practices we are using in our community to increase the quality of our communication.

• The first is Direct Communication, which helps prevent gossip and misperceptions.

• The second is Mindful Communication, which draws from the mindfulness trainings as articulated by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn .

• The third model is Appreciative Inquiry which is applied when gratitude meets curiosity.

• The fourth model is Nonviolent Communication which better helps us articulate our needs as compared to making demands.

• The fifth model, Language as a Generative Act, makes the distinctions between assertions (facts) and assessments (judgments).

• Finally, the document closes with some best practices in Netiquette, the cultural norms for electronic communication.

The last pages consist of cases studies which are designed to help people apply the models to these scenes and to play with the possibility of a different outcome. If you would like to contribute to the next draft of this document, please contact Communications Director, Rachel Karasick at rachel @ philauu.org.

Download Communication Toolkit (Revised: August 2010).