Particularly in the realm of communication, we place a much stronger focus on what and how quickly we produce information than on what we receive. We post new status updates on Facebook and Instagram, we send countless emails, texts, and emojis, and we attend courses teaching us how to be more confident public speakers. But what many of us tend to forget is that effective communication is not so much about speed, and far more about creating connection.

In this interactive workshop, Steph invites participants to revisit the skill of listening as a way to connect with ourselves and the people around us. The learning outcomes of this workshop are as follows:

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Recognise the shortcomings of our current approach to communication, specifically, a focus on speed rather than creating connection.

Describe concrete strategies for incorporating listening skills into their everyday lives, as it pertains to better understanding oneself and communicating more effectively with others.

Identify practical ways to use these listening skills in their everyday lives, following role-play and discussion activities during the workshop.

About the speaker:

Stephanie Ng is the founder of Body Banter (www.bodybanter.com), a Hong Kong-based registered S88 charity that empowers youth voices in conversations about body image and mental health. She is a graduate of the clinical psychology masters program at Columbia University, and is currently pursuing her PhD in a joint program between the University of Hong Kong and Mind HK, a local mental health charity. Weaving together her lived mental health experiences and her knowledge of psychology and linguistics, she aims to empower people and communities in Hong Kong to start challenging but necessary conversations about mental health and mental illness. Her work is internationally recognized, and has been featured on media platforms such as BBC, Channel NewsAsia, Tatler Asia, NowTV, and Deutsche-Welle. She is the winner of the Young Changemaker Award at the American Chambers of Commerce Women of Influence Awards 2023, and the recipient of the Youth Award at Jessica Magazine's Most Successful Women Awards 2023.