Social Mindfulness

You don't need to rush to fill the empty moments in the conversation. Aim to not always be the person to break the silence. This promotes individual thinking in the participants.

On the other hand, having no silent moments is interpreted as a competition, the discussion instantly becomes a debate, and at that point most people stop suggesting any ideas.

Create a short narrative (one or two chapters) of what was covered with a list of next steps. Don't be afraid to use emotional adjectives, such as challenging, difficult or complex, if they describe well how the conversation went.

Word choices are important because they create a shared understanding of the discussion afterwards, which promotes more valuable action.

Just stating the facts in the style of "topic x was discussed" without "how it felt" can create resentment, if people start guessing why problems are being hidden.

Postpone your own interpretations, and assume that everyone wants to find the best solution with their set of skills.

One exercise is to accept not the first, but the second interpretation that comes to your mind when you listen others speak.

Also learn to recognize and label your own thoughts and separate them from what the other person says. Actively making notes on paper can help in this: arrows, smiley faces and adding quick labels such as risk or 👍 promotes your own understanding of the issue.