Craig Constantine
Self-awareness
Are we also looking for ourselves? Bringing self-awareness to mind, in a conversation, enables us to be more intentional about where we go next. Conversations can be an opportunity for us to practice self-awareness. This of course involves a delicate balance of being “in” the conversation enough to be a good conversation partner, while also More →
Listening
Book Listening by Jonathan Cott, 2020 — “All I really need to do is simply ask a question,” Jonathan Cott occasionally reminds himself. “And then listen.” It sounds simple, but in fact few have taken the art of asking questions to such heights–and depths–as Jonathan Cott, whom Jan Morris called “an incomparable interviewer,” one whose skill, according More →
Curiouser and curiouser
Intentionally engaging until we find it interesting “I can see that my digging into things that didn’t seem interesting at first glance, has yielded terrific results: Learning, surprise, and happiness to name just three. And not just for myself, but for others too.” It’s surprising how many things become interesting once I spend enough time More →
Curiouser and curiouser
Intentionally engaging until we find it interesting I can see that my digging into things that didn’t seem interesting at first glance, has yielded terrific results: Learning, surprise, and happiness to name just three. And not just for myself, but for others too. It’s surprising how many things become interesting once I spend enough time More →
Without purpose or agenda
Choosing a direction towards what you don’t know “We want to avoid being drawn toward what we understand. In that direction lies the temptation to summarize and finish.” In a conversation we can feel the urge to have a purpose in the form of a goal we are trying to reach, and we can feel More →
Without purpose or agenda
Choosing a direction towards what you don’t know We want to avoid being drawn toward what we understand. In that direction lies the temptation to summarize and finish. In a conversation we can feel the urge to have a purpose in the form of a goal we are trying to reach, and we can feel More →
Roles
An actions-based perspective “When something feels off, we can consider which roles are present in the moment. Am I being a mover, and my guest a follower? Or are they perhaps being an opposer?” During a conversation we sometimes sense that it could be better. We might be aware that we are confused, disappointed, or More →
Roles
An actions-based perspective When something feels off, we can consider which roles are present in the moment. Am I being a mover, and my guest a follower? Or are they perhaps being an opposer? During a conversation we sometimes sense that it could be better. We might be aware that we are confused, disappointed, or More →
Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together
Book Dialogue: The art of thinking together by William Isaacs, 1999 — Dialogue provides practical guidelines for one of the essential elements of true partnership–learning how to talk together in honest and effective ways. Reveals how problems between managers and employees, and between companies or divisions within a larger corporation, stem from an inability to conduct a More →
Having an open posture
What intention might you try setting for your next conversation? “I don’t simply day-dream about my intentions when it’s convenient. I consider different intentions, choose explicitly, and then work to carry that intention into a conversation.” Our urge to hide influences us in subtle ways. If we feel we can’t control another’s thinking (in truth More →