about this website

I maintain this website and its blog to share the lessons I’m learning on my journey to improving communication, especially in situations where effective communication is crucial.

These insights are based on the experiences I’ve gained in various roles (see below) and how I make sense of them, drawing from the unique perspectives they afford me on the subject matter. Especially when they intersect, they synergize and combine to generate even more intriguing insights and considerations.

Crisis Inter-vention officer

As an officer in the crisis intervention team of one of Canada's largest police agencies, I engage daily with individuals experiencing crises. At the same time, I have the privilege of learning from the experienced crisis workers alongside whom I ride, whose expertise in the field is unparalleled.

Mental Health advocate

Through my involvements with Crisis Intervention Team International, Distress and Crisis Ontario, as well as with the Toronto Police Services Board's Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel, I am grateful for the opportunity to leverage my passion to address the systemic challenges that the most vulnerable among us face.

mindful parent

This sure is not a parenting blog. However, the principles of communication I explore in my research are universally applicable, offering valuable lessons for managing both the minor and major crises we encounter in everyday life.

Behavioural scientist

My role as a behavioral scientist equips me with an analytical lens through which I can discern the dynamics of interpersonal communication that permeate the diverse roles shaping my journey. This insight enables me to grasp how fundamental principles of communication manifest within and across different contexts. Furthermore, it empowers me to leverage these perspectives to significantly improve interpersonal outcomes.

About myself

The autobiographical nature of a ‘lessons-learned’ website inherently reflects the personal journey of its author. Therefore, sharing a brief account of my own path may offer valuable context to understand the perspective behind the lessons shared here.

Born and raised in rural Southwest Germany, with little thought given to my future, it was my mother who took the initiative to submit my application to the Federal Police in Germany.

As someone whose baseline self-confidence necessitated continuous emotional and cognitive effort to achieve success, being accepted into the Federal Crisis Negotiations Team at the German Federal Criminal Police Office stands out as a particularly thrilling achievement in my life.

However, my failure to convince the love of my life to stay with me in Germany highlights a significant insight: that my achievements to that point had primarily bolstered my confidence. It wasn’t until I underwent training and volunteered with a crisis line in Ontario that my competence truly began to match my newfound confidence.

About the (FAV)icon

Every website needs a distinctive icon, and mine is chosen to reflect my passion for interpersonal communication, as well as my affinity for Chinese language and culture. The icon is a Chinese character written in seal script, an ancient style of writing officially adopted during the late Qin dynasty.

The character in question is ‘聽’ (tīng), meaning ‘to listen.’ This choice is directly tied to the semantics of the word itself, underscoring listening as a fundamental skill in interpersonal communication. The significance deepens when one delves into the structure of Chinese characters, which are composed of various elements known as radicals. The radicals within ‘聽’ encapsulate concepts integral to the essence of meaningful listening. To fully appreciate the intricacies and layered meanings of this character, consider the ‘heat spots’ below, which highlight the individual radicals and their contributions to the composite meaning of ‘to listen.