Trainings, skills-development
sessions and workshops

There are many situations in our lives where, in hindsight, we may see clearly how we should have reacted, what we should have said, or what decision would have been worth making—yet in the situation itself, we said or did something entirely different. But why? Well, one of the most important questions of self-awareness work is precisely understanding what happens inside us at such times and why we do what we do.

In a self-awareness group, this opportunity is provided mainly, but not exclusively, through our own experiences. The reactions, questions, and feedback of other group members often point out perspectives that we would not even think of on our own.

Self-awareness training sessions do not serve a therapeutic purpose; rather, they are intended to promote a shift toward a deeper understanding of oneself and others in a playful format, through varied and structured tasks and exercises. At a self-awareness training, we can easily experience things that make our knowledge about ourselves and other people feel deeper and more comprehensive, helping us better understand the "whys" behind our actions and decisions.

Group self-awareness work does not mean the simple transfer of knowledge (such as a lecture on how personality functions). The emphasis here is on personal experiences, joint thinking, and reflection on oneself. Workshops are generally shorter and focus on more specific topics, questions, or skills, whereas in a longer self-awareness training group, there is more time and opportunity for deeper observation of personal functioning and more comprehensive, complex self-development.

However, it is important to clarify that developing our self-awareness does not mean we must change something about ourselves at all costs. Self-awareness work serves much more to deeply understand the patterns according to which we operate, what influences our decisions and relationships, and which ones we want—and are able—to change.

Communication is one of the most important tools in our everyday relationships. We all communicate—yet we do not necessarily communicate well in every situation. In fact, we may use our communication tools least effectively precisely when it matters most how we speak up, or we might have no idea what and how we should express ourselves in a given situation to succeed.

Communication training provides an opportunity for participants to recognize their own communication habits and try out new tools that may work more effectively in certain situations. These include, among others, active listening, proper questioning, giving and receiving feedback, clarifying misunderstandings, and clearly formulating our own feelings and needs.

During the training, the emphasis is on practice. We often view a communication situation quite differently when observing it from the outside compared to when we are in it ourselves. The joint analysis and re-trying of situations can therefore lead to realizations that might not necessarily emerge through the mere transfer of theoretical knowledge.

Developing communication does not mean learning to "speak well" under all circumstances. Rather, it means being able to more consciously choose when and what we want to communicate, how it is worth phrasing, and when we need not only to speak, but also to truly listen to the other person.

Conflicts are a part of our everyday lives. Getting into a conflict can mean different things to different people. Sometimes it is not the disagreement itself that causes the biggest problem, but rather the way we react to it. It may happen that we prefer to remain silent just to avoid an argument (and it is precisely our silence that slowly poisons the relationship), while at other times we try to assert our position with such intensity that the communication itself becomes part of the conflict. It is also possible that we try the same solutions over and over again, even though they have not led to results in the past.

During conflict management training, participants have the opportunity to recognize and become aware of these operating patterns. Participants can examine how they react in various conflict situations, what solution methods and strategies they use, and what consequences these have for themselves and their relationship with the other person.

If someone is not satisfied with how they have handled their conflicts up to now, they can learn and try out new solutions and develop a new toolkit for themselves.

The training is practical in nature: participants can try out different conflict management solutions through concrete tasks—ranging from playful to more serious ones—and jointly analyze their potential consequences. Proficiency in conflict management will not mean that we will never get into conflicts with others or have unpleasant moments because of them. However, participants will become capable of handling emerging disagreements more consciously, less automatically, and in a more constructive manner.

We do not say something that we would like to. We do not ask for help when we would need it, or we simply do not say no to yet another request. Instead, we take on something that we actually have no capacity for, just so we do not cause inconvenience to the other person, or so we do not incur their disapproval. It is also possible that we can only assert our interests when the tension has built up inside us to the point where we have become agitated because of it.

These situations may be familiar to many. Assertiveness helps precisely by enabling us to stand up for our own position even when it is difficult, or when we know that the other party might not agree with us.

During the training, there is therefore an opportunity to deal with everyday situations that are difficult for many, such as saying no, asking for help, formulating criticism or feedback, pointing out behavior that is unpleasant for us, or standing up for our own opinion.

Practicing concrete situations is also important because quite often the real problem is not that we do not know what we should say (at least in theory), but rather that it is difficult to do so in a live situation.

Assertive communication means representing our own viewpoints, interests, feelings, and needs while also taking into account the other person's viewpoints, demands, and personal boundaries. It does not guarantee that we will always get what we want. However, it can make it possible for us to represent our needs, interests, or ideas even when doing so is difficult for us for some reason.