Dr. Julien Mirivel, a professor of applied communication, has delivered a talk on the importance of positive communication to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The UNFPA is the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency whose mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

The UNFPA supports reproductive health care for women and youth in more than 150 countries, the training of thousands of health workers, prevention of gender-based violence and teen pregnancies, efforts to end child marriage, delivery of safe birth supplies, and more.

Mirivel gave his talk, “The Art of Positive Communication: Small Actions to Make a Difference,” on Oct. 19 with a second talk coming up on Nov. 10. The 80-minute presentation will reach 4,000 United Nations employees who work across 150 countries.

“It’s exciting to share these ideas to a wide audience and to hopefully help plant a seed to transform the way people work with one another,” Mirivel said. “An idea, a talk, a concept, or a skill can make a big difference. I have done a lot of talks in my career, but this is a pretty special one. This is the United Nations. It’s not every day they call you.”

Mirivel also has a new book coming out in 2023, called “Positive Communication for Leaders: Proven Strategies to Inspire Unity and Effect Change,” with Communications Coach Alex Lyons. He said that many of the ideas in the upcoming book will be covered in his United Nations talk as he discusses what workplace leaders can do to improve the work environment through positive communication.

“My whole scholarship of teaching and research is about helping people communicate and work more positively, especially in organizations,” Mirivel said. “This is a talk that is focused on internal communication to create a positive and thriving work environment. I will cover how leaders, managers, and supervisors can use positive communication to create a great workplace for all.”