EVENT FAQs - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Which events can I join?

You are so welcome to join us for any of the events, whether you are completely new to this work or a seasoned professional.

If previous experience is required or supportive, it is noted.

Are photos or video allowed?

A delicate topic and a good opportunity to practice consent.

We ask participants not to take photos or videos of anyone else without asking them first.

Occasionally, Donal will want photos to be used online.

If so, he will ask everyone participating before any are taken.

If anyone doesn't want to be included in these, they can tell the photographer, who will either avoid capturing them, or remove them from any pictures taken.

If this is not satisfactory, any participant can request to transfer to a different training or receive a full refund.

Does it help to do the trainings in any particular order?

For example: without having completed a foundational training like ‘Communicate to Connect’, can I attend the other ones, like ‘Empathy Essentials’?

Yes, you are welcome to join. At the same time, prior attendance to a ‘Communicate to Connect’ training is helpful.

This is primarily for 2 reasons:

- ‘Empathy Essentials’ builds on the foundational skills learnt in the ‘Communicate to Connect’ training. Many of these are not covered in other NVC trainings or in Marshall Rosenberg's books or recordings.

- Having previously participated in a ‘Communicate to Connect’ means we have already journeyed together in this way. This gives us a head start on building a sense of community, deeper connection, trust and emotional safety when we embark on the deeper trainings.

Team

I offer the trainings with support from an evolving team of collaborators (some of whom are introduced on this website), which is why you'll often read 'we' and 'us'.

Typical schedule for full-days

Arrival from 9:45 for meet and greet.

We will begin when all are present, otherwise no later than 10:15.

And finish sometime between 17:15 and 17:45.

We will take at least 1 hour break for Lunch, around 13:30, with 2 shorter breaks morning and afternoon.

Teas, snacks and kitchen facilities available (fridge, cooker etc). We invite you to bring some snacks to share at breaks.

For lunch, you can bring your own or visit local cafes, shops and restaurants.

Age range

Unless indicated, my events are designed for adults.

Some teenagers enjoy, and are welcome when accompanied by an adult guardian.

Children tend not to enjoy them much. In the past, there have been exceptions. Based on this:

- Younger children and babies are welcome if the parents are responsible for the childcare.

- They may be in the training space, as long as someone is willing to take them outside if anyone in the group becomes distracted.

About Donal's Trainings

Financial contribution

We want to make these trainings both accessible and sustainable, i.e. available to everyone who would benefit, regardless of income, and, at the same time, minimise risk of loss and try to sustain ourselves financially.

Donation based events

Some events are partly offered by voluntary donation. Here is how they work:

We request payment in 2 parts:

- 1st: To secure your place and make sure we cover costs:

Deposit of 30€ per day of training.

- 2nd: To contribute for the teaching / facilitation:

A voluntary donation... For this:

- You are invited to contribute as much as YOU like.

- If you already know how much you want to pay, you can transfer online anytime, or pay cash when you arrive.

- If you want to experience the event first, you can pay anytime before leaving, either by cash or online transfer.

- Balance what you receive (what it’s worth to you) with what you are comfortably able to give.

- What you are investing in:

Expenses that go into the event production - venue rental, paying assistants & admin, catering, printing, websites, certification fees and taxes etc. (These are often covered by a fixed deposit fee)
Those who can afford to and choose to contribute more support us to include those who can’t.
The rest goes to me (Donal), to sustain myself - this work is my only and full-time occupation.

- If it's not easy, or you don't want to choose, let us know. We can suggest a quick process to help you decide... and/or share the sliding scale prices we used previously.

- If in doubt, feel free to contact us. We are happy to talk with you about it

What’s the intention? Why have this option?

- So that these precious teachings are available to all, regardless of income. This meets needs for choice, inclusion, community, diversity etc.

- We have experienced that generosity is met with generosity, and so we hope that we will receive enough donations to sustain the work we do. If so, we can offer more events like this and so a positive cycle continues.

- Ultimately, we wish to move towards a gift economy, in which the giving is separate from the receiving.

A step toward that is what some call a “semi-gift economy”, which is what we offer at these events- some contribution is expected; the amount is decided by the participant rather than the facilitator.

How to pay

Preferably Cash or PayPal to info@donalgannon.com

If that's not possible, let us know and we can arrange a bank transfer.

Accommodation

Some venues have accommodation options; others don't. Check the event pages for contact links.

If you are travelling a long way to get to the event, we will try to support you.

There are usually sleeping options around (e.g. AirBnB, Hostel world) and we can organise ridesharing from there.

Alternatively, you may post on our events group to inquire whether another person attending the event has accommodation available locally.

Scheduled Events