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COM 59 — Mindful Communication: The Power of Relational Practice for Awareness and Compassion

Quarter: Winter
Day(s): Thursdays
Course Format: On-campus (About Formats)
Duration: 7 weeks
Date(s): Jan 25—Mar 14
Time: 7:00—9:05 pm (PT)
Refund Deadline: Jan 27
Unit: 1
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Tuition: $530
Instructor(s): Ted DesMaisons
Limit: 30
Class Recording Available: No
Status: Open
Please Note: No class on February 22
ACCESS THE SYLLABUS » (subject to change)
Winter
On-campus
Thursdays
7:00—9:05 pm (PT)
Date(s)
Jan 25—Mar 14
7 weeks
Refund Date
Jan 27
1 Unit
Fees
$530
Grade Restriction
No letter grade
Instructor(s):
Ted DesMaisons
Limit
30
Recording
No
Open
Please Note: No class on February 22
ACCESS THE SYLLABUS » (subject to change)
Relationships of all kinds can generate our greatest joys and, paradoxically, stimulate our greatest suffering. For both those reasons, they make a particularly rich ground for true development. In this course, we’ll use mindful awareness as a tool for deepening communication, and we’ll use communication as a vehicle to strengthen our mindfulness practice.

Drawing on the Insight Dialogue work of Gregory Kramer, a meditation teacher since 1980, we’ll explore six mutually supportive mindful communication themes: pause, relax, open, trust, listen deeply, and speak the truth. In particular, students will learn to release old habits of speech and listening, embrace the power of silence, notice arenas of vulnerability and confidence, find words that carry meaning more precisely, and turn the stress of relating into an avenue for personal growth. The course will combine the elements of play and interpersonal engagement and is appropriate for those beginning or continuing their own mindfulness practice.

This course approaches concepts introduced in COM 63: “The Right to Speak: Finding and Freeing Your Natural Voice” and PDV 103: “Playful Mindfulness: A Journey to Everyday Confidence, Calm, and Connection.” While these courses build upon one another, each course can be taken independently as well.

TED DESMAISONS
Founder and Principal, ANIMA Learning

Ted DesMaisons is a trained mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor and has studied, performed, and taught improvisation internationally. He has studied intensively with voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg and earned recognition as a Patsy Rodenburg Associate. He co-hosts the Monster Baby Podcast on improvisation and mindfulness and is the author of Playful Mindfulness. DesMaisons received an MBA from Stanford and an MTh from Harvard.

Textbooks for this course:

(Required) Gregory Kramer, Insight Dialogue: The Interpersonal Path to Freedom (ISBN 978-1590304853)
(Recommended) Ted DesMaisons , Playful Mindfulness: A Joyful Journey to Everyday Confidence, Calm and Connection (ISBN 978-1950373000)