From the forthcoming book, Beyond the Weather:
5 Steps to Great Conversation.
Everyone talks, but relatively few engage in
conversation. Fewer still create “Great Conversation.” But so many of us yearn
for it.
"Great conversation" connects us with one another, with ourselves and with our humanity.
In this polarized world, we are more networked
and yet more isolated than ever. Conversation is the secret sauce that makes networks and relationships work. Conversation is the key to connection, a primal need, yet so
much talk consists of stunted, unsatisfying “serial monologues.” To find
satisfaction as individuals and to survive as a diverse, democratic society, we
need to rediscover the art of Great Conversation. That is the subject of this web site, and of my forthcoming book.
I’m no stranger to the weary woes of stunted conversation. For years I
hid behind self-built walls of isolation. Then I learned a few secrets. I shared
these learnings and insights over a 22 year career, teaching, consulting, and coaching
conversational skills on 4 continents, in 3 languages, to Fortune
500
companies, to leaders of the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe, to
doctors and bakers and just plain folks, hungry to learn.
BEYOND
THE WEATHER is the story—how anyone can increase satisfaction,
feel the connection, and increase success through Great Conversation.