If you were among the 167 participants in Dr. Victor Harris’ June 26th web conference, we thank you for joining in. For the first time Military Families Learning Network hosted our conference on the DOD/DCA web conferencing system and we were thrilled to see such a large turn out.
Dr. Harris shared with participants the 9 important communication skills curriculum based on Dr. John Gottman’s work with couples and communication within relationships. Of note were the “4 Don’ts of Communication,” which include:
- Criticism
- Defensiveness
- Contempt
- Withdrawing
Dr. Harris discussed alternatives to these emotions by detailing 5 skills to use in tense situations:
- Calm down
- Speak non-defensively
- Use specific complaints
- Validate
- Overlearn the 9 skills
Discussion of financial topics can frequently lead to arguments and stress among couples; adopting these skills will assist families to effectively discuss and manage their finances.
Dr. Harris and many participants shared some of their favorite resources for communication and financial topics. If you have others to share, please leave them in the comments section.
- http://www.moneyhabitudes.com/
- http://realfamiliesrealanswers.org/
- 9 Important Communication Skills for Every Relationship
- 10 Rules for Constructive Conflict
- Leadership and Self-Deception (book)
- Dr. John Gottman’s “Four Don’ts of Communication” video
- Eric Tyson; Author, “Personal Finance for Dummies”
- John Gottman 20/20 “Fair Fighting” available on Amazon
The DOD/DCA web conference hosting system requires the installation of security certificates on computers not located on military installations. If this prevented you from joining this conference, please review these instructions for installation on a PC. If you are using a Mac, or if you need assistance in installing the certificates on a PC, please email Anne Adrian at aadrian@extension.org. We hope all interested participants will be able to make the installation in advance of our upcoming retirement series in July.
However, you still have the opportunity to earn the 1.5 CEUs from the 9 Important $kills for Talking About Money web conference by reviewing the archived recording of the presentation and taking a short quiz. Instructions for registering for the quiz website can be found here.
Please check out information about upcoming July retirement series. The first, on July 10 at 2 p.m. ET, will cover the wide variety of options for retirement savings. The second, on July 25 at 1 p.m. ET, will focus on the Thrift Savings Plan. Please save the dates for this wonderful series. We hope to see you there!
