Dr. Paul Ekman devoted his life to the study of facial expressions and emotions. He was a professor at the University of San Francisco from 1971 to …
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Perception Affects Communication
Sometimes in communication, we hear the words, we understand the words, and we still miss the meaning. We perceive one thing and the speaker has a …
Is my Relationship Destructive?
Are you in a destructive relationship? What are the signs and symptoms of a destructive relationship? Marsha Linehan, the founder of Dialectical …
Keeping Friendships
Once we meet people and make friends, it is important to maintain those friendships. It is important to be mindful of others when interacting with …
Is There a Secret to Making Friends?
Interpersonal effectiveness involves more than being assertive or maintaining boundaries with the people in our lives. This module extends into …
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Honing in on Assertiveness
We use assertiveness to get what we want. While there is no guarantee that we will always get what we want -- as the saying goes -- we catch more …
Validation for De-escalation
The use of validation is so powerful, yet so simple. Sometimes people ask, "Is that all I have to do?" They noticed that they just had to be …
Don’t try to fix it
When someone is telling you about a problem they have, is your first inclination to fix it? They might be just seeking validation. Validation is …
Motive to be Assertive
Few people would argue that assertiveness is a good thing. It is common for someone to tell themselves to be more assertive. We also hear advice from …
Maintain Your Property Line
Boundaries are that invisible property line that mark where one person ends and another person begins. We maintain boundaries in all domains of our …