Business Communications and the Art of Conversation
Do you talk a lot, a little, ask a lot of questions or prefer to ride the conversation out to see what happens? Well according to ‘We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter’ by Celeste Headlee (recently featured in The Guardian), we may need to consider shutting the proverbial pie-hole and take a moment to listen to master the art of conversation. In our latest blog, we take a look at how conversation can affect business communications and ways to perfect the art of conversation.
Bringing it Back to Business
No doubt you have been in a situation where you see a person’s eyes dart off into the stratosphere of thought whilst you are still mid-sentence. Whilst this masks itself as interest and excitement, it secretly sabotages conversation and can mean that both you and the other participant end up repeating yourselves or not reaching the end goal of the conversation – which is important in business communications.
In business, successful communication is important – a no brainer, right? Factors such as culture, geographies, tone, inflection, industry and experience can all play a part in harbouring or hindering good conversation. Thanks to the latest innovations in technology, business can reach further globally than ever before but that can also put a spanner in the works for business communications.
The Art of Conversation
In order to truly master the art of conversation, people should be mindful of the situation and simply allow thoughts to enter their heads and then let them flow right back out so they can return to listening. This is all based on the premise that if you are too busy already concocting a response or answer a question, you actually stop listening and could miss vital information or an inclination which can change tone/context. It sounds pretty simple, right? But apparently there is a lot to be said, and done, in order to get everyone communicating better to revive the art of conversation.
Perfecting Your Conversation
Before engaging in a conversation, consider who is involved, what they will be most interested or engaged with, potential challenges or discussion points. Ultimately the objective of the conversation will help you avoid simple errors or faux pas. At Cherish PR we are a PR agency that works with global clients, in locations from Tel Aviv to New York, so we’re constantly taking into consideration various factors such as cultural and time differences and their city’s headline news.
So next time you strike up a conversation, remember to take a moment to truly listen before you jump into conversation – as you could miss out! If you wanted to hear more about the art of conversation, you can watch a video of Celeste Headlee at a Google Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydQd7KxrFDM
Written by Holly Forrest, Cherish PR