SPEAKING FROM THE HEART -- Understanding and Improving Communication Skills

 "Why should I treat you any differently
 because you have a mental illness?
I should treat you like a human being first."
 - Dr. Diana Pure

Certain skills can be learned from a teacher and then perfected by practice—like playing a piano or understanding mathematics.  Other skills are learned only by doing it yourself—like swimming or riding a bicycle.  Communication is a skill that can be learned like any other.

Dr. Diana Pure, Local Recovery Coordinator and staff psychologist at the Miami VA Healthcare System, taught Consumer Network members many things about communication on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.  Her topic was: Speaking From the Heart—Understanding & Improving Communications.   She covered many aspects of communications from written grammar to tone of voice.  She demonstrated how non-verbal communication can conflict with our words.

Diana Pure emphasized that communication is not just what you say, it is whether or not you’re getting through. She added, “You don’t have to be ultra-eloquent to get your point across.”