A One-Day Workshopwith Melanie Joy

Communication and Interpersonal Skills to Increase the Impact and Resilience of Vegan Organizations and Advocates

Communication and interpersonal skills comprise one of the most important skill sets for anyone who wants to increase the effectiveness of their work and the impact of their advocacy. Yet these are also the areas people tend to get virtually no training and support in.

In fact, ineffective and even counterproductive ways of relating are the norm among teams in organizations and in the vegan movement as a whole. Too often, our differences become debates and our debates become divisions. This leads to siloed thinking and limits our ability to make truly strategic decisions that maximize our impact. We may also contend with such issues as toxic communication, low morale, gossip, and misuse of power. Organizational staff and independent advocates alike can—and often do—end up burning out, and taking others down with them.

Problematic communication and interpersonal interactions are a major impediment to the success of vegan organizations and the movement as a whole, as they seriously limit our ability to work with each other and with stakeholders effectively.

In this workshop, Melanie Joy explains the key principles and provides practical tools for building effective and impactful communication and interpersonal skills. You'll learn how to discuss any topic, no matter how emotionally charged, effectively and compassionately. You'll also learn how to relate to differences in a way that deepens understanding and leads to more sound and strategic decisions. Through clear explanations and guided practice sessions, Melanie will help you build these and other competencies, which can significantly increase the likelihood that your team, leadership, and/or individual advocacy efforts are as productive and impactful as possible.

How Vegans Can Prevent and Recover from Burnout

Burnout is widespread among vegans, whether they are actively advocating veganism or just practicing it in their personal lives. Burnout both contributes to and reflects many problems that weaken the vegan movement, such as infighting, recidivism (quitting being vegan), counterproductive advocacy, misanthropy, and more.

In this workshop, Melanie Joy explains the common causes, manifestations, and consequences of burnout among vegans, as well as ways to prevent and recover from the problem. She also provides practical tools that help participants understand their own experiences and increase their resilience, which increases both their sense of fulfillment and their effectiveness as advocates.

Dr. Melanie Joy is an award-winning psychologist and educator and the author of eight books, including the bestselling Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows and How to End Injustice Everywhere. Melanie specializes in effective advocacy, social change, relationships, and communication and her work has been featured in major media outlets around the world. She has received a number of awards, including the Ahimsa Award—previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela—for her work on global nonviolence. Melanie has given talks and trainings in over 50 countries, and she is also the founding president of Beyond Carnism.