In-Person Trainings

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 Manage Infighting

Infighting among vegan advocates and within vegan organizations comes at a huge cost. It takes a tremendous amount of resources out of the movement and causes vegans to feel betrayed, demoralized, and fearful of being on the receiving end of an attack. Infighting is a major obstacle to the success of both vegan organizations and the movement more broadly.

In this workshop, Melanie Joy explains the causes and consequences of infighting, as well as practical ways to prevent and manage the problem. She guides participants through experiential exercises so they can integrate and practice new skills and understand how to apply a variety of new tools. She also facilitates discussions in order to help address the infighting participants are currently experiencing. This unique and empowering workshop can help vegans cultivate more resilient organizations and a more impactful movement.

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.

Leadership Meetings

Melanie Joy is also offering leadership meetings, 90-minute to two-hour meetings that follow a training. People in key leadership positions in a given region come together to do a strategic analysis of the movement in their area, and/or to discuss any issues they feel are relevant, from forming alliances to navigating infighting.

Option 1: Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Option 2: Infighting
Option 3: Communication and Interpersonal Skills + Infighting
Option 4: Communication and Interpersonal Skills + Burnout
Option 5: Infighting + Burnout

Note: You can add a leadership meeting to any of the above options.