Most men have been taught to communicate to be understood, to win, or to defend. Almost no-one has been taught to communicate to be heard. Week one is about un-learning that.
What we work on
- Naming what you actually feel without translating it into anger, sarcasm or silence first.
- Listening to another man without queueing up your own response, your fix, or your war story.
- Saying the thing in five sentences instead of fifty — or instead of nothing.
- Recognising the difference between a real conversation and a polite one.
Why it matters
Every other shift in the four weeks — the difficult conversation you've been ducking, the wellbeing habit you've been postponing, the sense of purpose you can't articulate — runs on the same engine. If you can't get the words out, you can't do the work.
Leaving the room with
One real thing you said out loud in the group, one thing you noticed about how you talk, and a small experiment to try in one specific conversation this week.