Craig Constantine
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 →
Before You Say Anything
Book Before You Say Anything by Angie Flynn-McIver, 2021 — We have all had those moments that haunt us in the wee hours of the night: the times we could have spoken up and didn’t, and the times we spoke up and it went badly. It can feel like those experiences are inevitable, but communication coach Angie More →
Resources of others
In conversation we can help others be their best selves. “Focusing on these small things frees me from trying to imagine what is the big picture we’re creating.” There are so many things we could pursue in any conversation: Learning, discovery, helping our partner, even fame. So it’s wise to pick something to use as More →
The resources of others
In conversation we can help others be their best selves Focusing on these small things frees me from trying to imagine what is the big picture we’re creating. There are so many things we could pursue in any conversation: Learning, discovery, helping our partner, even fame. So it’s wise to pick something to use as More →
Being genuine
Releasing preconceptions can lead to delight. “We have little chance of being creative if we know, or think we know, where things are headed.” In conversation we find tension within ourselves from our competing desires to lead and to follow. For genuine connection to develop, we must release our preconceptions of who the other person More →
Being genuine
Releasing preconceptions can lead to delight. We have little chance of being creative if we know, or think we know, where things are headed. In conversation we find tension within ourselves from our competing desires to lead and to follow. For genuine connection to develop, we must release our preconceptions of who the other person More →
Power of vistas
Encountering vistas changes us. ” “What do we want to create together?” presents a vista. We figuratively stand here and now with our partner, and we look forward to the future.” We can change ourselves and our partners in conversation by presenting a vista. Read the article… More →
The power of vistas
Encountering vistas changes us. “What do we want to create together?” presents a vista. We figuratively stand here and now with our partner, and we look forward to the future. Physically encountering vistas changes us. We shift the direction we are facing, and at what distance our eyes are focused. We take a deep breath, More →
Community
Book Community by Peter Block, 2018 — As a response to the increasing violence in our culture, the widening ideological divides, and the growing gap in economic well-being, there is greater awareness that a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. But even as we acknowledge the need to build community, the dominant on-the-ground practices about how More →
Generous silence
Silence can be an active process of giving. “When we choose silence, we’re giving the other person our own time to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without feeling rushed or judged.” Silence is not simply waiting to speak; it can be an active process of giving. There is so much that can be conveyed More →