Improve your non-verbal communication for the good of your group and your writing, says Julie Phillips
Writing groups, if they are anything like the one I attend, can sometimes get a bit rowdy. There can be heated debate and a lot of talking with not much listening going on. It’s not often that there is complete silence – a chance to relax and reflect. This workshop is designed to bring a little calm into your group and allow them to explore different kinds of communication other than speaking.
Humans are born communicators. No man is an island and we need other people to survive. Writers need to communicate in order to earn a living using the written word – we also need to interview people, talk to editors and publishers, ask questions and beg for an extension to our deadlines, negotiate contracts and payment. We communicate through our fictional worlds. We have something to say to our readers. Sometimes it’s not, however, what a person says that we need to pay attention to but what they are doing – their facial expressions and mannerisms. It’s what they are not saying that is the important bit.