WKU News

The Mary E. Hensley Lecture Series, hosted by WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, will present Words I Never Heard by author and WKU graduate Lynnie Vessels on Sept. 25.

Did you ever wonder what to say to someone who has just suffered a tragedy? A death in the family? A trauma? Have you ever judged someone’s behavior as bad, realizing later they were just in pain? How would our words be different if we approached angry people as if they were in pain? Vessels was given no words when she returned to her second grade class after her father shot her mother across the dining room table. It was her first realization of how a lack of emotional intelligence in adults affects children in times of stress. Words can change the chemistry in a room. Words can change the behavior of a child. Words work miracles in relationships. If we can find the right ones. Vessels has worked a lifetime to find the right words.

In her presentation, Vessels, author of To Soften the Blow, will share her belief that taking the time to find the right words -- and mustering the courage to say them -- can improve every relationship.

Vessels, a native of Louisville who lives in Chantilly, Virginia, graduated from WKU in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and communications.

Her lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Gary Ransdell Hall Auditorium, room 1074. Admission is free and open to the public.

Contact: College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, (270) 745-4664