Communication Strategies Wk 5

We began Friday’s session with the poem, “Words are Birds” by Francisco X Alarcón. We used the poet’s bird metaphor to spark a discussion about the value of asking questions. Of words, Alarcón says, “teach them/how to fly/and one day/they go away/in flocks.

Asking questions can be difficult for our girls (and for us, too!) But showing curiosity about the world around is can expand our community and deepen our friendships. We talked about asking “hard” questions and about our worries about being pushy or nosy. We talked about the difference between conversation killers and conversation starters and highlighted the value of staying on topic. A conversation is an exchange, not a trade-off of unrelated subjects. A conversation is built upon listening.

The girls wrote a list of their own questions, including a few “hard” questions. Learning to ask the hard questions is a great way to build the muscle of self-advocacy.

We encouraged the girls to try on the role of reporter and interview their friends. Armed with a list of questions, the girls spent the bulk of our group getting to know each other. “I didn’t even have time to ask all of my questions, because the first question led to a conversation,” one girl said. Another chimed in, saying, “Words and birds, they can both take you on an adventure.”

#girlgroup #girlsrule #letstalk