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Things You Need to Learn to Have Good Conversations
It’s time we remember other ways and reasons to talk
How is “conversing” different from “talking”? Or is it? In English, the two seem pretty synonymous. We assume “having a conversation” means the same thing as “talking to someone.”
What we miss is that talking is just one part of a conversation. There are others — listening, creating meaning, and connecting to context, just to name a few.
I wonder what would happen if we gave equal significance to those other elements, rather than just talking. What if the main point wasn’t to express ourselves— but to practice alignment with others in a conversation?
Here are a few ideas for what might follow.
It takes more than two to have a conversation
Based on my observations, a modern domesticated homo sapiens mostly knows one way to have a meaningful conversation: one-on-one.
Most of us can maintain a good conversation with one other person. It feels manageable. There is only one set of ideas to navigate alongside yours. There’s plenty of space for talking even if you listen generously. Plus, you don’t have to navigate the challenge of different parts of yourself showing up in response to multiple…
