Are you brave enough to start a conversation that matters?
Jan 19, 2021Conversations are the key parts of life that change us and others. Every moment in a conversation is an opportunity to inspire, motivate, challenge and support others. A simple word in the ear with the right timing can be the thing that gets a person through the day. A short conversation such as “are you ok?”, can save a life.
Conversations are the things that can provide great comfort and reassurance to people when times are tough. They are the basis for creating a quality healthy family interaction and a loving relationship with our partners. Conversations can get us a jobs and earn us an education. Conversations can create or stop war.
The art of mastering a great conversation is well worth learning and very much underutilised. Feeling awkward about something or toward someone is usually the world’s best indicator that you would benefit from a useful conversation with them. Even if you feel nervous or unsure of what you are going to say, you can’t let that stop you. Just say at the beginning you are feeling nervous because of whatever reason and have the conversation anyway! A big tip in a conversation is to get to the point of what you are needing to discuss. Sure part of it is about connection and rapport building but also its about being 100% clear on what it is that you want to discuss and being able to walk away with confidence that your message was received with clarity. Professional conversationalists are often called coaches. When coaching with someone what the coach brings to a conversation is a listening ear, some great probing questions and an environment of safety and non-judgement.
Most coaches are great conversationalists and will help you to consider something in your life from an angle that you had never considered before. If you want someone to shift your thinking about something, it is well worth a great coaching conversation. My position in Being More Human is titled Chief Conversationalist because of our mission of being more human and a vision of Inspiring individuals and organisations to “Be More Human”. We figure that the best way to do this with a sense of integrity was to bring together a team of people who are exceptional at conversations.
You will never know exactly where a conversation is going to go, and that’s the beauty of them. Plan them, Map them, use a framework but at the end of the day going with the flow is what will get you to the other side. Conversations can bring unity, change organisations and dramatically shift cultures and impact the course of history. Why not learn do them well???