Publish Date

Who:  FTCC Faculty Professional Development

What: Speaking Truth to and with Power: Effective Communication for Leaders & Teams

Presenter: Dr. Sonny Kelly, FTCC Communications Instructor

Speaking Truth to and with Power for Leaders and Teams starts with the performance of poetry and storytelling that leads audiences through a process of considering their own sense of self, community, and agency. As we learn to express ourselves more clearly, we also learn to listen
more actively and compassionately to our fellow community members.

This interactive workshop will be led by Dr. Sonny Kelly, an expert in interpersonal communication. Participants will engage the subject of forging diverse personal connections in an innovative and practical ways. Using storytelling, poetry, and examples from participants’ own experiences, Dr. Kelly will lead them through a process of diagnosing and developing positive and confirming communication environments versus negative and disconfirming communication environments. Participants will learn clear tactics on effective ways to create and maintain positive and confirming communication environments while speaking truth to power (“coaching up”) and speaking truth with power (“coaching down” and “coaching laterally”). Finally, participants will garner some crucial skills that will help them to navigate and positively impact existing negative and disconfirming communication environments. All of this hinges upon the practice of taking on a dual perspective – putting ourselves in others’ shoes just long enough to understand the world through their eyes (Wood, 2020).

When:  Friday, November 18, 2022 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Sign-up Genius

Where: GCB 224

Questions: Faculty can contact the Center for Academic Excellence with any questions!