LOGISTICS

How do you want the room set up?
Ideally we’d like a room with good light and an open floor with chairs.

Initially we’d like the chairs set up in an “amphitheatre” set up, like a part circle facing the front. The chairs need to be easily moveable so that participants can form groups of two’s and three’s for the experiences.

Depending on the group, we may also do some simple movement exercises which would also require moving the chairs.

Do you need microphones?
Our preference is to work with groups that are small enough to not require microphones. It really depends on the room and the amount of background noise.

Do you have hand-outs you need copied?
Yes, we have a one page hand-out.

Will you be selling or promoting anything?
We don’t have any books or CDs to sell. We will tell our participants about upcoming workshops and other opportunities to learn about supportive listening. We will give participants the chance to sign up for our mailing list.

What about food and drink?
We encourage healthy snack options such as fruits and vegetables. In our experience, participants get more from the session if there aren’t pastries or other sugary snacks.

AUDIENCE

How many people is minimum? Maximum?
To have a good group experience, the minimum number of participants is 6 people. In terms of the maximum number of people, it really depends on the context, the location, and the goals of the group. Let’s discuss.

Do people need to speak English? If so, how well?
It depends. On the hand, our instruction will be in one language, so participants need to understand that. The good news is that participants can have their supportive listening conversations in the language that they are both most comfortable in.

So for instance, if a group has fair English listening skills, and can ask questions in English, it could work.
Another option is that with a good interpreter, we could deliver the instruction and take questions. In this way, we could probably do Spanish as well.

Can you do this in other languages?
At this time, we can offer this workshop in English, Hebrew, and Japanese.

What’s an ideal group?
The most important thing is that people be open to trying the Supportive Listening approach, and have opportunities in their life to try it out.

What about people with physical disabilities?
Most the exercises involve simply talking and listening.
For the physical exercises, we can adapt them in one way or another to work for most participants. Or depending on the number of people impacted, we might avoid physical exercises all together for a given class.

WORKSHOP DESIGN

Do you have a workshop design I can see?
Yes, we have sample designs for a half day 3 hour and a full day 6 hour workshop.

What can you do in half a day?
In a morning, participants will get introduced to the philosophy of supportive listening through discussion and through firsthand experience of the process.
This is a good amount of time for participants to get a taste, and appreciate what supportive listening offers.
We will simply introduce the core techniques, but not go into detail on them.

What can you do in a full day?
In a full day, we’ll introduce the core aspects of supportive listening in more detail, with more practice.
We’ll have time to talk about some of the challenges and how to deal with them.

Do you both teach?
It depends on the workshop. We’ve designed the workshop to be taught by either or both of us.

Can you customize the program?
We are happy to talk with you about any specific needs you may have, and discuss how a customized program might better address those needs. Please contact us for more information.