Published May 4 2018
The city and King County Library System offer workshops in May that will help you learn vital communication and "sur-thrival" skills of listening, resiliency and managing challenging conversations.
Marci McReynolds of the city's Dispute Resolution Center leads these highly interactive classes. The Sur-thrival workshops held so far this year have been popular. Attendance is on a first come, first seated basis, so arriving early is a good idea.
The Art of Listening
Monday, May 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Bellevue Library, Room 1, 1111 110th Ave. NE
Listening is at the core of all we do. Learning to listen well improves our relationships, our ability to learn, our accuracy and our sense of peacefulness. You will learn how to focus when listening, what to say to let others know they have been heard and how to limit your unhelpful listening habits. You will also get to know others in our community in a fun, engaging way.
Sur-thrival Skills for Trying Times
Monday, May 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Bellevue Library, Room 1, 1111 110th Ave. NE
There is a lot coming at us: busy lives, crowdedness, change, bad news, upheaval, loss. How do we not only survive but thrive in the face of it all? You and others in the class will be led through interactive and thought-provoking exercises to help you build your resiliency, learn to be a hero in your own life, turn lemons into lemonade and find joy in the middle of a disaster. You will come away feeling lighter and more connected to others in the community.
Courageous Conversations
Thursday, May 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Newport Way Library, 14250 SE Newport Way
Sometimes we just have to talk to that person about that issue, no matter how much we want to avoid it. Failure to do so often makes matters worse, and the opportunity for growth, understanding and peace are lost. In this class you will learn to ways to transform the way we see these difficult issues, overcome the "speed bump of fear" keeping us from initiating the conversation, how to begin and stay the course during the conversation and how to be OK with whatever the outcome.