Participating in conversation

Today I had an opportunity to meet with an old friend of mine, whom I have had numerous discussions with over the years. Reflecting on today’s and other conversations I have had, these are four short tips on how I participate.

Understand the concepts:

I have learned that details constantly change depending on the audience, and think of conversations as a pyramid. The top or “point” is a broad topic and the base expands exponentially with ideas, people, and continued conversation. This emphasizes a mindset that discards pre-conceived notions and focuses on progressive change.

Listen:

Listening is a simple form of feedback that provides an opportunity to learn from every conversation that you participate in. I listen by engaging my audience with consistent eye contact and ask questions about what they discuss. What I have found most difficult is reserving my personal opinion until I am asked, but find it refreshing to have productive conversations while saying as few words as possible.

Know your audience:

How you receive and provide feedback requires an understanding of the audience you are speaking with. Adaptability to a situation provides an open forum where both parties can build a continued two-way discussion of words and ideas. This open-mindedness allows for better management, products, and relationships between two parties; however, all feedback should be constructive.

Know where you add value:

Understanding your industry, art, product, and etc allows you to have the right conversations. Collaborate with those that have different strengths than you, ask the right questions, and the results will be positive. In addition, you create new contacts when questions arise in the future.

When utilized together, the preceding will help you participate and lead future conversations.

Technorati Tags: conversation, organic, coworking

Posted on July 15th, 2007 | By: David Litsky | Filed under General Business

One Response to “Participating in conversation”

1. David Litsky :: It’s hard to carry on when no one loves you. Says:
   July 25th, 2007 at 9:52 pm

   [...] most of my nights at Kelliann’s. Talking to the customers and employees taught me that participating in conversation is more fulfilling than attempting to lead it. I also tried unique ways of communication including [...]

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