Better conversations

In her talk from TEDxCreativeCoast the journalist and broadcaster Celeste Headlee shares 10 ways to have a better conversation.

The 10 rules are based on the techniques Headlee has learned over years of interviewing people professionally. They are:

1. Don’t multitask
2. Always assume you have something to learn
3. Use open-ended questions
4. Go with the flow
5. If you don’t know, say you don’t know
6. Don’t equate your experience with theirs
7. Try not to repeat yourself
8. Forget the details
9. Listen
10. Be brief

These 10 points could easily have come from any coaching textbook. As I see it, they’re centred around one common theme: presence.

Headlee’s closing remarks, summarising her approach to conversations, will stick in my mind for some time:

“I keep my mouth shut. I keep my mind open. And I’m always prepared to be amazed”

---

Featured image by Wynand van Poortvliet on Unsplash