Workshops

Four separate free 3-week workshops are being offered for experimenting with harnessing the power of talking out loud.

Registration for the workshops is appreciated, but not required. Click here to register.

Please be punctual as we will be splitting into breakout rooms at the start.

Workshop description

With Teddy Bear Talk Support, "teddy bears" are primarily engaged in actively listening to a talker, but they may also be asked to provide other kinds of fodder for what the talker is saying. In this workshop, we'll be exploring the limited things that teddy bears can be asked to do, and we'll be offering ample opportunities to experience both the talker and teddy bear roles during our activities. As teddy bears, we'll be learning how to support the talker without bringing in our own agendas.  How do we keep it about them and not us (and what we might do or what we might be interested in)?

Examples of some different things that teddy bears might be asked to do:

• do some paraphrasing of parts of what the talker said
• offer some open, honest questions (and perhaps offer the questions in writing)
• make guesses at what's at the bottom of what the talker is talking about
• serve as a scribe by writing down the parts of what the talker is saying that they ask you to
• make guesses at what feelings and needs are underlying what the talker is saying

Examples of some things that a talker might talk through with their teddy bear:

• Whatever thoughts come to mind as they try to wade in when they're not sure where to start
• Prioritizing their day
• Making their intentions clearer with an email they just finished drafting out
• Reflecting on a parenting decision or a conversation they need to have
• Thinking through purchasing something
• Imagining how to navigate choppy waters with co-workers or family members
• Dealing with a small task that has been a thorn in their side
• Handling a major life issue

For parents

Listening is a powerful gift we can offer each other. Can Teddy Bear Talk Support help you with going about listening to your child in a different way? What are the possibilities for asking your child to serve as a teddy bear for you? Perhaps for giving them opportunities to be helpful to you. Perhaps for having the child role play someone else to give them a different perspective.

Besides either serving as a teddy bear for your child or having them serve as a teddy bear for you, parents can talk about parenting issues with other people, too. Or, since you are a whole person and not just a parent, perhaps what might be most attractive about Teddy Bear Talk Support is how it can provide snippets of opportunities to talk to adult humans about ideas outside of parenting.

Sunday workshop for everyone

• Time: 8 - 9 pm
• Dates: 11/26/23, 12/3/23, 12/10/23
• Zoom link: https://meaningfulaction.org/tb

Monday workshop for parents

• Time: 7 – 8 pm
• Dates: 10/16/23, 10/23/23, 10/30/23
• Zoom link: https://meaningfulaction.org/tb

Sunday workshop for parents

• Time: 4 – 5 pm
• Dates: 11/5/23, 11/12/23, 11/19/23
• Zoom link: https://meaningfulaction.org/tb

Wednesday workshop for parents

• Time: 8 - 9 pm
• Dates: 11/29/23, 12/6/23, 12/13/23
• Zoom link: https://meaningfulaction.org/tb

Interested in future offerings?

• To express interest in future offerings, go to https://teddybeartalksupport.com/interested