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Communicating Effectively During Transitions – Managing Turbulence and Dilemmas

Name: Communicating Effectively During Transitions – Managing Turbulence and Dilemmas
Start: 2015-08-18T11:00:00-04:00
End: 2015-08-18T12:00:00-04:00

Tue August 18, 2015: 11:00 am-12:00 pm EDT

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This webinar explores some of the challenges military families may face as they undergo transitions (e.g., deployments, reunions, relocations). On the one hand, transitions can create a sense of turbulence where family members are uncertain about their relationships and have trouble coordinating their routines. On the other hand, transitions also can create dilemmas where family members are faced with competing goals. Communicating effectively during transitions involves recognizing that turbulence and dilemmas are natural and learning how to manage them. Rather than offering simple recipes (e.g., “just talk about it”), the webinar will explore why certain ways of communicating may be more or less effective during transitions. The webinar also will identify programs and resources that may be helpful to professionals who work with military families in transition.

Objectives

To understand why military families often experience turbulence during times of transition
To understand why dilemmas may occur as military families communicate about transitions
To examine key findings that put both of these topics (turbulence, dilemmas) into action
To move beyond simple recipes (e.g., “just talk about it”) to analyze what counts as more or less effective ways of communicating during transitions
To identify programs and resources to help providers work with military families

Presenter Information

Steven R. Wilson is a professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication and a faculty affiliate of the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University. His research focuses on processes of influence and identity management in families. His recent projects have explored how military families communicate when returning service members have difficulty reintegrating to civilian life as well as how military youth cope with tensions between being proud of their parent’s military service but feeling different than civilian peers.

Leanne K. Knobloch is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois. Her research addresses how people communicate during times of transition within close relationships, with a particular focus on how military families navigate the cycle of deployment and reintegration. At present, she is working on a research project funded by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to investigate how military couples can maintain satisfying relationships upon reunion following deployment.