Unsatisfying conversations? One phrase can help

communication , listening , questions , understanding

My client – let’s call him Pete – was telling me about his greatest current frustration.

‘I do a lot of my work on the phone. Too often, I get embroiled in small talk, the conversations seem to ramble on and at the end of it, I’m not really sure what the caller actually wanted.

‘Come to think of it, it happens face to face too sometimes. A colleague will arrive at my desk, chat for a few minutes, maybe ask a question or two and then drift off. I don’t want to seem unfriendly but neither do I want to waste our time.

I want to ask “why are you calling?” or “was there something specific you wanted?” but that sounds a bit rude.’

‘How is it when you’re the one making initial contact?’ I asked.

‘Actually, that’s a good point. Maybe I need to be clearer about the…

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Conversation Starters: What is your story?

Instead of asking my friends “how are you?”, I ask them “tell me a story.” This way, it eliminates a simple response of “fine” and starts hopefully a better conversation.

https://3psbyseeker.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-is-your-story/

The Origins and Evolution of Language | Michael Corballis | TEDxAuckland

linguistics , science

msamba

Nearly everybody can communicate, and most do so through some form of language, and yet the question of where language came from is one of the most difficult questions in science. Psychologist and author, Michael Corballis explores the many theories of language’s origins, including his own, and details how language and communication have continued to evolve, from primates’ use of gestures, to the advent of communicative technologies. Michael Corballis, emeritus professor at the Department of Psychology at The University of Auckland is one of the foremost global experts on the evolution of human language.

The son of a sheep farmer from Marton, Michael’s long and decorated academic career has seen his studies of the brain and what it is to be human earn him New Zealand’s top science prize, The Rutherford Medal.

He has worked with patients who have had two-sides of their brains disconnected to relieve epilepsy which led…

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