Browsing Posts tagged conversation

Initiating a conversation with other people can be difficult as most of us are so worried about what the other person will think of us that we decide it’s better to say nothing than to expose our flaws. This topic is just one covered in The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine. For [...]

I have already listened to the audiobook of Leadership and Self Deception twice so far this year. I found the content of this book extremely humbling each time and whereas the first exposure to the material was a challenge, the second time it was challenging of me. Unable to source a paperback copy quickly I [...]

It looks like what I was trying to describe as the benefits of Twitter etc, is ambient intimacy. This is a nice term for being close to the environment of others with it’s not practical to be there in person. Who cares? Who wants this level of detail? Isn’t this all just annoying noise?… There [...]

We have to hear the minute detail about people’s lives in order to build the social trust to hear the bigger things. Twitter and other social media bridge this gap with the people you don’t know so well.

What do you do when email is down or it fails to get your point across? I bet you pick up the phone just like I do. Robert Gerrish of Flying Solo makes a great point about conversation and relationships in his latest newsletter. Just imagine if email were taken away from you. What would [...]

I’ve just taken my business partner through the in’s and out’s of how I join my blog, del.icio.us and newsgator into a personal knowledge management system. I hadn’t recognised the complexity and power of what is on offer and how easily I can now share that information with others. It has created a greater sense [...]

Last night three department heads and their assistants sat down together. As expected the conversation was wide ranging and jumped from topic to topic almost at random. The heads dominated the conversation, creating space for others to speak when additional detail was required. Multiple times the conversation was hijacked to the cause of an individual. [...]

Email has its plusses and minuses. Here is a list of good tips. I particularly like those which suggest picking up the phone. If you’re in an office I’d add one other. Get up and walk to the other person’s desk rather than call them. Chuck Martin has a set of 7 Tips for Getting [...]

I’ve recently taken to jotting down notes during phone calls on a pile of scrap paper which sits beside my keyboard. The effect is threefold. I rely a little less on my memory of the conversation I am able to listen better because I’m not filing as I go I get to use the back [...]

“In this group, conversation has a capital C.” Glenn Trembath, a learner, made this comment in our Knowledge Game workshop yesterday. He was recognising the importance a group’s language can play in conversation. Glenn was participating in a group where several of the members already knew each other and had a common understanding around the [...]