Communicating with Ping Pong Versus Catch

3/14/2023

As a couples therapist in Oakland, CA, I recommend this podcast episode from Therapist Uncensored all the time: Ping Pong Vs. Catch: Turning Communication from Competition to Connection. So, I decided to make a little comic to demonstrate the idea!

From Therapist Uncensored:

Enhancing Communication
Learn how playing a good game of emotional pitch and catch can immediately improve your communications. Sometimes hearing the words “Can we talk?!?” can fill you with anticipation and dread. And once we feel a bit of threat, it does not bode well for how that “talk” could end up despite our best intentions.

Strategy To Improve Communication
In today’s episode, we explore why and how this response happens and share strategies to help make these interactions more fulfilling.

By visualizing the difference in two sports, Ping Pong and Catch, we help listeners conceptualize the body’s response to different listening states and “feel” their way to more open and engaging interactions.

Playing verbal catch is essentially using active listening skills. Find out more about active listening on my blog here!