Six Tips for Creating Deeper Conversations

How do you create deeper conversations? A deeper conversation takes you beyond small talk and into shared meaning. During a deeper conversation you feel listened to and you listen and understand both the facts and feelings of everyone in the conversation.

Here are six tips that help to create deeper conversations.

1. Listen actively with empathy.

2. Identify facts AND feelings.

3. Share responsibility for success.

4. Think creatively about what you say AND hear.

5. Express yourself openly and honestly. No hidden agenda.

6. Nurture your relationships with kindness.

How can you use these six points more often? What I've seen work is to keep them on a sheet of paper nearby as you intentionally practice creating deeper conversations. You might not hit all six at first -- or every time -- but by making yourself aware of the possibility of using these six tips I think you will find a higher quality and deeper level of conversation filling your life.

Isn't it worth a try?

Want to get started?

ACTION PLAN:

Print this list of tips and initiate a conversation with another person on what you think it means and how you might put it into practice. Check yourself to see how many of the six tips you can use during the conversation.

...and as it says on the shampoo bottle, "rinse and repeat..."

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Learn more in the workshop: Communicating for Results

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