On Tuesday, 27 May, the University of Dubrovnik hosted a workshop for staff titled ‘Is it Possible to Be Assertive and Gentle at the Same Time? A Workshop on Empathetic Refusal’. The workshop was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olga Filaszkiewicz from the University of Applied Sciences in Elblag, Poland.

Held on the Campus, the workshop brought together interested University employees who, through a dynamic and interactive approach, had the opportunity to learn what it means to be assertive, why assertiveness matters, how to identify their own communication style – assertive, passive, or aggressive – and how to formulate and practice assertive messages while understanding how those messages are perceived by others. The workshop was conducted in English, and participants expressed their satisfaction at receiving concrete tools to enhance their personal and professional communication.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olga Filaszkiewicz is a psycho-pedagogue, psychotherapist, communication trainer, and doctor of social sciences, currently employed as a university lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Elblag.