Activity by Evelien Westerbeek

Day 3.

This activity was initially for advisors/ coordinators of disability support, but many disabled students joined the activity too.

Part I (individually) 

• Write down how you communicate with your students in an empowering way.
• What do you do and how does it look like?
• Make a drawing of yourself and how it looks like when you are empowering a student.  Visually impaired participants made 'statues' or described in words how they would feel. 
  

Part II (in groups) 

Discuss the drawings:

• What is empowering communication?
• What is it to you?
• What is the need and why?
• Which skills do you need to do this?
• Which elements do you recognise in your own communication?
  

Does the vision of the disability co-ordinators match the vision of the students about empowering communication?

Part III (plenary) 

Do you realize that empowering communication has everything to do with the empowerment of your opponent (the person you’re speaking to)? The way to communicate can also effect the elements: 

• competency:    confidence in skills
• self-determination:   (dare) to make choices
• Impact:    see and experience the effect, influence of choices
• Meaning:    consistent with values and beliefs
• Positive identity:  confidence, you may be
• Group orientation:  part of a community, dependence

A coach needs to have a mixture of all 6 elements. But first you have to know what your ‘thing’ is. 
 

Part IV (in small groups of 2 people)  

How well do you know yourself? How do you learn about yourself?

Do you dare to speak up about your own weaknesses?

Do you know your own weaknesses?  
 

Part V (in small groups of 2 people) 

What is a capacity or strength of the person sitting next to you?

How would you tell him/her? 

Finish (plenary)

What would you like to share with the rest of the group about this exercise?