The T.A. language and communication transactions
Updated: Jul 20
It’s been more than twenty years since I last did a presentation on transactional analysis (T.A.). It was in Johannesburg South Africa, in 1997. The one session of about two hours was part of a three-day program on organization development and was in the context of communication as a transaction between two personality ego states. The delegates discussed several aspects of T.A. communication, including complementary, crossed, and meta-messaging, and how these impacted the effectiveness of communication within the organization.
My recent posting on YouTube - a skill I acquired as I recuperated after a hospital visit – was mainly on the T.A. language. My plan in the coming weeks is to get out and interact with people as I do presentations in an area that addresses many aspects of human behavior - an area that addresses some aspects of mental health and emotional intelligence. I am optimistic that, despite the huge demographic, cultural, and values dispersion and diversity, in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, there will be interested organizations and individuals, willing to join in the discussions as we explore what T.A. has to offer.
My motivation goes beyond making a contribution in an area of great value to any organization (as a communication network), and the individual (in respect of self-awareness, personality ego states, and interpersonal relationships), to include the possibility that the income generated can be used to support activities that ‘advocate for the elderly in Kenya’, particularly in the fields of health and sanitation.
Let's take the field of health for example. Many elderly people in Kenya struggle to access the right type of health services. If one is admitted into a hospital today, depending on the hospital, the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will pay for the bed only – and only if one is a contributor to NHIF. Let’s say the bill after five days rises to a half million Kenya shillings, the NHIF will pay about twenty thousand Kenya shillings only – unless the patient is a civil servant - leaving a huge chunk of the bill for the patient to deal with.
I believe advocating for the elderly in Kenya would be the right thing to do and many would welcome, and rally behind the initiative, in support of such a development.
Other areas of concern and interest include the provision of clean water and green energy. Is this a great deal? Perhaps yes. But to use the words of Lao Tzu: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step!" I am all set to take the first step - ‘away from YouTube’ for now!
Group training (for those interested) and presentations will start in mid-April. For more information, please contact me via email: dcmacaria@yahoo.com