P
Lil Blume
Communications Consultant and Trainer

\
Home
Message from Lil
Feedback
Communication and Ambition Workshops
Communication Skills for Computer Scientists 
Writing Family Stories
Pinking Shears Publications
Tools For Teachers:
Active Listening Cheat Sheet
Groupwork Presentation (pdf)
Lil's Questions
Canada Day Questions
Women and Ambition
Bibliographies for Workshops:
Public Speaking Coaching
2011 Spring Workshops
2010 Fall Workshops
2010 Spring Workshops
2009 Fall Workshops
2009 Spring Workshops
2007 Speaking Tour & Workshops
2006-2007 Workshop Schedule
Spring 2006 Workshop Schedule
Communiques
CV
Lil's Blog
 

MESSAGE FROM LIL

There are probably hundreds of incidents a day in industries and offices in Ontario in which feelings are bruised, productivity is impaired, and corporate health is endangered due to POOR INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS among employees.

To address these problems, I give workshops and courses at conferences and through in-house staff development programs.  These workshops are adapted to suit the needs of your organization.

I focus on teaching and reinforcing communication skills including

  1. Perception Checking -- to prevent overreactions, misunderstandings, and false accusations
  2. Giving "I" Messages -- to facilitate clear communication and minimize defensiveness
  3. Active Empathic Listening -- to show understanding and create a supportive environment
  4. Communicating Nondefensively -- to encourage problem-solving and prevent unproductive defensive spirals
  5. Assertive Speaking and Assertive Listening -- to insure one's ideas are heard in a way most likely to make others receptive and show concern for the ideas of others
  6. Counteracting Passive-Aggressive Behaviour -- to stay focussed and achieve your goals
  7. Productive Problem-Solving -- to understand different conflict resolution styles and maximize the possibility of win-win solutions
I am also active in leading writing workshops and coaching public speaking.
  

TESTIMONIALS

"I wish you’d come back to Victoria to give the faculty another session. The few hours I got to spend with you were some of the most useful I’ve ever spent on professional development." Lorna Crozier, award-winning poet, professor University of Victoria

“The ability to communicate effectively is especially important in my role as an elected official, and I have Lil Blume to thank.  Her communications course has taught me important lessons on how to listen with empathy and communicate non-defensively – skills that are essential whether I am in a boardroom debate, being interviewed by the media, or on the phone with a constituent.  Lil is a dynamic and energetic teacher who delivers with passion."
 – Shaun Chen, Trustee (Ward 21, Scarborough-Rouge River), Toronto District School Board