Rethinking Communication

So much of conversation is about understanding context.

From determining which conversations and relationships are worth engaging in to understanding the alignment in values to solving conflict, if you don't pick up on the context, you might create problems.

As you'll hear from my guest in this episode, John Wang, culture also provides context clues, which he discusses in his new book, Big Asian Energy, and on his podcast.

Of...

This episode's content comes from a webinar I delivered earlier this year titled, "You Want Me To Talk To Them? How To Communicate With People You Disagree With."

In this presentation, I walk through what we get wrong about conflict communication and how conversations get stuck. I also cover a new way to approach uncomfortable conversations, my ASK then SEE method, which can help us lower the temperature of heated discussions.

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I had the joy of joining Rick Barron on his “That’s Life, I Swear” podcast for a conversation about… well... conversation. More specifically, how we can communicate better with each other when conflict arises.

Even though I was the guest, Rick told a story about him and his neighbor that is the perfect example of what I mean when I ask that you set aside your c...

Speaking coach Neil Gordon joins the podcast to recount how school "educated me out of an interest in reading and communication," and his journey back to a love of both.

Neil specializes in persuasion and helping speakers create more compelling narratives in their stories. Out of that work, Neil says, a path to ward off pessimism and skepticism emerges.

Check out A Prayer for Owen Meany, the book Neil references in this convers...

Rich Harwood, President and Founder of The Harwood Institute, joins me on this episode.

Over the past 35+ years, Rich has used his philosophy and practice of how community leaders can solve shared problems and deepen people’s civic belief worldwide to tackle some of the most deeply divisive issues.

As Rich explains, we need a better way to communicate through change, where we get ...

This episode exposes a cunning and sometimes dangerous communication tactic we employ when we face disagreement or opposition.

The “stick to sports” clapback that has pervaded our discourse on deeply challenging and controversial topics is an attempt to limit another human being, relying on strict and uncompromising assumptions and presumptions about who they are and the value they bring to a particular issue.

Aden Nepom helps people build better habits around communication and collaboration to experience more joy in their work through her work with her company, Art of Change.

The feeling of joy as a conversational outcome is an interesting one, and Aden defines that joy as wholeness, excitement, and a sense of goodness in oneself.

As Aden describes, change requires experiencing it, and grief is a natural part of letting go of past e...

Tim Wenzel is back on the show to discuss his book, "The Kindness Games," which he co-authored with Lee Oughton.

Tim was my guest in episode 104, where he shared how the original idea of The Kindness Games came about. Now that the book is out, Tim shares what went into writing it, the lessons learned, the stories highlighted, and his hope for the message.

Perhaps most importantly, Tim wants us to know that kindness has a power ...

Is an unawareness of sunk costs sabotaging your communication efforts?

We often hold on to decisions, beliefs, and strategies simply because we’ve already poured time, money, or energy into them, even when we know they are no longer serving us well or are no longer aligned with who we are.

Understanding the role that sunk costs play in our decision-making — and how to work with them, not against them — is critical to clearer, m...

Our society spends an awful lot of time and energy trying to categorize and label people.

From your political affiliation to your religion to your generation to your level of schooling, each "box" comes with it expectations of who and what you are, and as a result, a prediction of how successful you'll be in your chosen pursuits.

My guest in this episode is Vikram Mansharamani, author of the book, "The Making of a Generalist." ...

How can you make your disagreements more meaningful?

Too often, when conflict arises, there's an understanding that a disagreement is present, but rarely do we take the time to truly understand why the disagreement is there in the first place.

This happens everywhere — at work, within family dynamics, with friends and significant others, in the political and social sphere. If you look closely, so many of the arguments being had...

This conversation is perhaps the most profound exploration I've ever done on the power of asking questions to understand the meaning behind words.

Robin Reames is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois Chicago and the author of the book, "The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times."

As Robin points out in this conversation, over the past century, we've lost sight ...

Welcome to Rethinking Communication!

Over the past four years, I've uncovered some aspects of communication that have largely gone untaught in our traditional educational settings.

So, I'm pivoting this podcast to focus on how we can bridge these gaps in our collective communication skill set.

In this first episode under the new banner, I introduce you to six things school didn't teach you about communication that I'll strive...