engleski

Intervention in Attention: How Can Mindfulness Help in Interpersonal Communication

Mindfulness (focused awareness) is defined as non-judgmental awareness in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990), or it can be described as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (El Morr et al., 2019). What makes mindfulness recognizable in practice is our focused activities that distinguish our mindful actions from automatic behaviour. “Mindfulness in the field of communication has mainly been considered in terms of how consciously people plan their approach to a communication exchange or the extent to which they identify and respond to relevant or irrelevant information in a given situation” (Seneviratne, 2018). When we mindfully look at the world around us, especially when we are mindfully communicating, we work on a holistic approach to humanity, and we consciously engage all the senses and decide to be involved in the present moment. This understanding of one's actions is crucial in interpersonal communication, the process of message transaction between people who work toward creating and sustaining shared meaning (Turner & West, 2006: 6. Workshops called “Be Mindful” are organized by the Edward Bernays University College (henceforth: Bernays) and are offered by the Office for Student Counselling. Students who were interested in extracurricular activities registered for the workshop, forming groups of up to 15 students / participants. The “Be Mindful” workshop consists of four sessions, with one taking place each month, through four months overall. Participants are Bernays students, with 10 to 15 students in each group, in which they practice mindfulness techniques with two trainers, one psychologist and one public relations expert. While providing them with the theoretical basics of mindfulness, we mostly focused on practicing mindfulness techniques through guided exercises and explaining homework assignments. Students receive homework assignments / exercises after the workshops, which they practice until the next session. Students in the group also had the opportunity to practice mindful interpersonal communication, that is, they had the opportunity to apply the learned techniques directly under the supervision of the two trainers. Two cycles of the workshop (with two different groups of students) have been conducted so far, and the third cycle, with a new student group, is currently underway. Our findings are based on anonymous surveys that students complete after each session. The surveys provide feedback on how participants experience benefits from the workshop, and they state their ideas and wishes for the next workshops, as well as small self-reports on whether they practice mindfulness at home with the provided materials, and how much it helps or distracts them in their daily lives, which assignments are difficult for them to practice, and which are easy. Our goal is to introduce young people to techniques that will help them cope with the stresses of life, while using additional techniques to improve interpersonal communication. This paper describes the techniques, which students learn and practice in mindfulness workshops, as part of extracurricular activities, and how young people can relate the experience from the workshops to interpersonal communication in their everyday lives. While the effects of mindfulness training are mostly presented through mental health benefits, our aim is also to explore how mindfulness could improve interpersonal communication and whether it could lead to better interpersonal relations. Therefore, we decided to bring mindfulness techniques closer to students through workshops. References: El Morr, C., Maule, C., Ashfaq, I., Ritvo, P., & Ahmad, F. (2019). Design of a Mindfulness Virtual Community: A focus-group analysis. Health Informatics Journal. DOI: 146045821988484. 10.1177/1460458219884840. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Delacorte. Seneviratne, K. (2018). Minful communication for sustainable development: perspectives from Asia. New Delhi, India: SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd. Turner, L. H., & West, R. (2006). The Family Communication Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

mindfulness ; interpersonal communication ; workshops ; students ; counselling

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