We have all been part of a team where one person drives the conversation and you can't get your two cents in or maybe a boss who dismisses your idea right after you shared it - what can we as leaders and facilitators do to create an environment where meaningful conversation happens?
Listening is one if those things people don't really think about as a skill - we spend A LOT of time everyday listening to things - how can you possibly be bad at it? There are different degrees of listening and to foster meaningful conversations in teams - active listening is paramount.
To effectively facilitate meaningful conversation in a group - good leaders and facilitators need to have good listening skills. These skills allow you to observe and direct conversation as needed. If people know you are listening to them (really listening to them) that creates an open work environment that encourages the sharing of information.
All of this leads to another important thing in facilitating meaningful conversations - asking the right questions! If you aren't listening, you won't know the right questions to ask to direct the conversation. Focus on open-ended questions that will continue your conversation - why did you.... what caused.... etc.
Meaningful conversations don't happen when one person does all the talking - it comes from collaboration with everyone involved.
Jane,
ReplyDeleteI agree that group collaboration/participation is imperative for meaningful conversation. A good leader must be able to manage group dynamics and dissuade participants who monopolize the conversation. Good leaders work at encouraging less active team members to participate.
Active listening is so important! I love that you brought this up because often when people get in groups, they are thinking about what next to say or how to respond rather than actually listening. We can all be reminded of this.
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