Last week we introduced part 1 of our solution to helping address Fullan and Gallagher’s argument that our world is close to a tipping point that could go towards thriving or decline.

For the human race to move towards thriving, rather than decline, students need to develop their personal and social skills. So today we will be looking at one strategy that will build our relationships and build our connections with other people.

Dr Jane Dutton, University of Michigan tells us that our relationships are a sum of our short-term interactions we have with other people. These can either be life-giving, or life depleting . This skill can really increase the quantity and quality of our social interactions.

It is called Active Constructive Responding (ACR).

This is based on the work of Shelley Gable, and focuses on 4 ways of responding when other people share news with us.

The research tells us that how we respond when someone shares good news will determine the quality of our relationships. I've also found in my own life that how I respond when someone shares any sort of news with me, determines the quality of my relationship with them.

So when it comes to ACR there are four ways that we can choose to respond. Three of them break or burden the relationship, only one of them builds the relationship- that is ACR.

I think that 2 mins of ACR is as good for a relationship as 6 months without it. Try it out and let me know what you think. The art of ACR or active listening is such a valuable life skill for all of us.

At UPP, we teach this strategy to students, and facilitate some practice for them during our workshops, helping them to become better, not just at learning, but also in relationships and life. Critical skills that help to set them up for success and make this a better world for all of us.

Our Positive Peer Relationships (for Primary Schools) and Stronger Connections (for Secondary Schools) student workshops teach students the skill of ACR. These workshops are about building personal and social skills to enhance the quantity and quality of our interpersonal interactions.

If you’d like to see this in action, get in touch.