Craig Constantine
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 →
Normal conversations too
Getting better at conversation is not just for special conversations. “My goal is simply to make every conversation I have better than yesteryear-me would have done with it.” To improve, we have to decide first how we’d like our conversations to be different. Improving our (and those we converse with’s) sense of connection is a More →
Normal conversations too
Getting better at conversation is not just for special conversations. My goal is simply to make every conversation I have better than yesteryear-me would have done with it. To improve, we have to decide first how we’d like our conversations to be different. Improving our (and those we converse with’s) sense of connection is a More →
Profound silence
How do we decide which silences to fill? “We should sit with the silence for a few beats when we find ourselves admiring something profound. Profound silence is too rare.” It’s important to understand what’s appearing in our conversation as it happens. We can have a flow of thought between us, or we can have More →
Profound silence
How do we decide which silences to fill? We should sit with the silence for a few beats when we find ourselves admiring something profound. Profound silence is too rare. It’s important to understand what’s appearing in our conversation as it happens. We can have a flow of thought between us, or we can have More →
What is Open + Curious
Hello, I’m Craig Constantine 👋 Welcome to Open + Curious. I believe that great conversation requires true listening and genuine curiosity. We talk with others every day, but how often do we intentionally practice the art of conversation? I want to show you how to shift from simply having conversations, to actively creating better conversations. I More →
We are the other
We each live our lives looking out from behind our own eyes. To each of our conversation partners though, we are an unknown. We are like everyone else they have ever encountered. We are the Other Person. Recognizing our status as a full-time Other Person could certainly help us be more humble and more aware More →
Cadence of conversation
We can only listen to one person at a time. That means comprehension will be harder for any listeners than it is for the participants in a conversation. I’d like you to consider manipulating cadence to create conversations that are easier to understand. If you and I are conversing, I have only to listen to More →
You can hear non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication is not lost with audio-only podcasts. There are subtle clues such as gestures with the head and arms, tension in the body, and variations in breathing which listeners are aware of subconsciously. These clues color the listener’s impressions. Keep in mind that your expectations about people are communicated to them nonverbally. It has More →
Listening beyond the conversation
If I want to improve, then there is no substitute for objective feedback, and for that I need a recording. It’s critical to listen to conversations with an ear towards improving. After a long conversation, stop and try to remember what you have just discussed. Don’t be surprised if many things, sometimes even everything you More →