Have you ever wondered how many conversations in your life may have been impacted by ineffective communication?
As someone who is extroverted and quite talkative, I have had to develop communication skills that enabled an effective two-way conversation consciously. In particular, consistently improving my listening skills as a leader was extremely important. A couple of years ago I came across these outstanding tips in a TED Talk by Celeste Headlee called '10 ways to have a better conversation'. I highly recommend you take a moment to watch this video, especially if you want to become a better listener.
These tips helped me immensely to not only self-reflect but to become further self-aware over the years when having conversations and get ready to be amazed by each one! Being a people-focused leader, I tend to have regular one-on-one discussions with my team members. These tips significantly improved how I manage these sessions. I became a much better listener. I do my best not to multitask and I pontificate less. I no longer say, 'I know how you feel I have been there', instead, I say, 'I might share something that may help you navigate the challenge you are going through'.
Headlee further expands on these tools in her book 'We Need to Talk'. She defines the key strategies that enabled her to become a better conversationalist—and proposes these brilliantly articulated 10 conversation commandments that can further enhance anyone’s communication. In the end, we can never be perfect, but self-awareness is the key to better conversations, whether at work or home.
Naveen Maram
Driven to inspire the next-gen.
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