Conversations are the pathway to understanding and engagement that lead to good relationships.

<ul><li>Bring your full presence, focus, and mindfulness to conversations by shedding distractions and mental clutter. </li><li>Tune into emotions, energy shifts, and nonverbal cues flowing underneath the surface. </li><li>Be aware of all dimensions of the interaction unfolding in the present moment. Presence enhances connection.</li></ul>

Being Fully Present and Mindful

Approach conversations with genuine curiosity about the other's perspective, empathy for their experiences, and an openness to wherever the interaction leads organically. Avoid preconceived notions or forcing a predetermined agenda. Let go of limiting assumptions. See each conversation as a discovery process.

Cultivating Curiosity, Empathy and Openness

Give space for people to think out loud, elaborate, and arrive at their own insights and breakthroughs through your receptive, non-judgmental presence. Guide discovery through questions rather than forcing pre-determined conclusions.

Leaving Room for People's Self Discovery

<ul><li>Take time to clarify shared purpose and mutually beneficial desired outcomes upfront to provide overall direction. </li><li>But also stay open to new value and possibilities that may emerge through the organic flow of your interactions and exchanges.</li></ul>

Aligning on Shared Purpose and Mutual Outcomes

Express your own ideas concisely, vividly, and with compelling analogies and examples that crystallize understanding rather than overwhelming with pure data and verbosity. Craft your words and messages to resonate at a core human level.

Expressing Ideas Clearly and Concisely

<ul><li>Listen deeply not just with your ears but all your senses, to fully understand context, emotion, and meaning below the surface. </li><li>Reflect back your understanding of insights shared to show you truly hear the person. Receive generously.</li></ul>

Deeply Listening with an Open Mind and Senses

Establish shared understanding by synthesizing key facts, diverse ideas, and emotional sentiments expressed from both sides into collective meaning. Leave space for co-creating unified understanding through two-way dialogue.

Establishing Shared Understanding and Meaning

Ask thoughtful, engaging questions that organically reveal motivations, elicit illuminating stories, draw out creative insights, and stimulate both parties' thinking. Avoid assumptions. Let answers determine the direction to guide discussion and inspiration.

Asking Thoughtful, Insightful Questions

In Conversational Intelligence, Judith E. Glaser provides frameworks for elevating the quality of connections through mindfulness, empathy, and purposeful questioning. She offers communication tools to build trust.

The key to success in life and business is to become a master at Conversational Intelligence. It's not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success. Conversational Intelligence translates the wealth of new insights coming out of neuroscience from across the globe, and brings the science down to earth so people can understand and apply it in their everyday lives. Author Judith Glaser presents a framework for knowing what kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain; and what activates higher-level intelligences such as trust, integrity, empathy, and good judgment. Conversational Intelligence makes complex scientific material simple to understand and apply through a wealth of easy to use tools, examples, conversational rituals, and practices for all levels of an organization.

JUDITH E. GLASER

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