- Don’t multitask, be present (put your phone away).
- Don’t pontificate (true listening requires setting aside of oneself).
- Use open ended questions (who, what, when, where, why, how).
- Go with the flow (let the thoughts that come into your mind go).
- If you don’t know, say you don’t know.
- Don’t equate your experience with theirs. All experiences are individual.
Conversations are not a promotional opportunity. - Don’t repeat yourself, it’s condescending and boring.
- Stay out of the weeds (people don’t care about details, they care about you).
- LISTEN (if your mouth is open, you’re not listening) Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen to respond)
- Be brief (“a good conversation is like a miniskirt, short enough to maintain interest, but long enough to cover the subject”)
Listen to this TED talk — 10 Ways to have better conversation
Read this — My students don’t know how to have a conversation
We can learn a lot by turning off our brains and just being there for someone in order to learn.
