Ten ways to have a better conversation: how to speak less, listen more and discover what you've been missing in every conversation
BASED ON THE WILDLY POPULAR TED TALK WITH MORE THAN TEN MILLION VIEWS
Take a moment to consider how many outcomes in your life may have been affected by poor communication skills. Could you have been offered that job you really wanted? Saved a relationship? How is it that we so often fail to say the right thing at the right time?
Journalist Celeste Headlee has interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life, and if there's one thing she's learned, it's that it's hard to overestimate the power of conversation. In We Need to Talk, she outlines the strategies that have made her a better conversationalist - and offers simple tools that can improve anyone's communication. For example:
*BE THERE OR GO ELSEWHERE. Think you can type up a few emails while on a business call, or hold a conversation with your child while texting your spouse? Think again.
*CHECK YOUR BIAS. We all have blind spots that affect the way we view others. Check your bias before you judge someone else.
*HIDE YOUR PHONE. Don't just put down your phone, put it away. Research suggests that the mere presence of a phone can negatively impact the quality of a conversation.
Whether you're struggling to communicate with your child's teacher, your neighbour, or someone you love, We Need to Talk offers smart strategies that can help you have conversations that matter.
@celesteheadlee
www.celesteheadlee.com
The perfect pre-Thanksgiving read to head off family squabbles and turn the holiday meal into a feast of ideas instead of a political fracas
