Conversations

In “10 ways to have a better conversation”, Celeste Headlee, address the issue of why it is difficult to have a good conversation and what can be done to improve the quality of each conversation. It is hard to have a good conversation nowadays with each other because some topics may be too controversial that could lead to an argument because of a different perspective. Headlee talks about how the invention of technology, cellphones, that allow people to text each other instead of talking face to face decrease our communication skills. She gives the statistic that most teens prefer to text than have an actual conversation face to face and the professor who gives students assignment only to realize that they don’t converse well. Headlee then tells us that the most important conversational skill is to listen well, actually pay attention to what others are saying, and enter a conversation with an open mind.
The key to having a good conversation is to pay attention and listen well. I think I am good at listening when people talk, but I am not good a giving output and be amazed at what they are saying. In a good conversation, the balance between listening and speaking is important. I know that I am not good at conversing with others because I don’t talk enough. How much I talk depends on who I am talking with and what the conversation is about. I also learn to not compare experiences, I sometimes find myself to bring up similar experience that I’ve encountered or heard of when people talk about what they are going through in order to sympathize with them.
- Jamie Vongbunyong