How to Have More Effective and Connected Conversations

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Brett Hill, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Slowing Things Down Because You Care
Most people in the course of a lifetime have met a few people who listened carefully and responded thoughtfully. What was the impact of that on you? Generally, when someone is listening authentically and is present with another, there is a significant impact on the quality of the conversation. It feels more connected and the conversations are often more effective.

Frequently, when engaging with someone who is present, the conversation slows down a bit as it becomes clear after a while that you’re not engaged in a “normal” conversation, that is to say, an automatic back and forth. When one person brings more presence and thoughtfulness to a conversation, the other person, if they perceive it, will often respond in kind. i

In other words, rather than being perceived as weird, or controlling, when you engaged in the practice of being thoughtful and mindful about a conversation, it is generally considered kindly. Why? Because underneath it is there is an implicit assertion – “I care enough about you and this conversation to attend to you carefully”. And, in fact, I would encourage you to actually express that caring in words when it is true.

Start by just slowing it down. I have been known to say to my family and others “I need for this to slow down” when things start to get too revved up for me to track, and it’s important. Why slow it down? So you can interrupt the process of being automatic. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. You will make great strides in being present and mindful in communications if you can “bring to the table” a clear intention to practice slowing things down – not for the sake of it, but so you have time enough to notice what’s going on for you AND the other others involved. In addition, you model to others what it’s like to have clear asks and demonstrating intentionality when communicating. This is especially important in conversations that are emotionally charged or heading that way. You can interrupt the automatic defensive responses that are the norm for most conversations, but only if we do something different.

Taking a Breath to Inject a Moment to be Mindful
A simple and effective way to slow things down without expressing that is what you are doing, is to take a breath before responding and while you do, simply “feel” into the space of what’s going on now. How are you feeling about what’s going on now? – concern? Happy? Confused? Contracted? Sped up? What are you moved to do next? Get more information? Express concern?

The point isn’t that there is a right thing to do here, but rather, to simply to claim some space so you can notice what you are feeling and have that inform how you respond – RESPOND being the key word, rather than react, and then take an action.

For example, you are on a walk with a friend of yours. They are talking about something unhappy that happened to them. You are having a normal conversation and it occurs to you that you can be more mindful and present. They are still talking about their experience but you listening more deeply now, and you see in their eyes the sadness they have. Instead of saying anything, you turn to them and just give them hug which they seem to appreciate. Staying in connection, you say “I’m sorry that happened to you”. They tear up for minute. You both feel a lot better, and closer.

In this simple example which happens many times a day somewhere in the world, you made the decision to get deeper by being more present. That immediately brings more opportunity into the moment because you are able to see and hear more of what’s happening right in front of your eyes (ears and heart), but you just missing before. It’s all there. You just have to pay attention, and one way to do that is it make space for quality attention by intentionally slowing things down a bit.

Can I Consult with Myself for a Moment, Please?
So far, I’ve offered two techniques for slowing things down – taking a breath and slowing things down (pacing). Another, more dramatic but useful technique can be used in specific situation. There are times when a conversation comes to a critical moment or juncture and what you say next matters. These moments have a special intensity about them you feel. There is a sense of a turning point that hinges on what you are about to say. First, you have to have enough presence to notice this is happening. When it does, do not hesitate to ask for the time you need to get yourself into a state of BEING so that what you DO comes from the right place. (Let what you do flow from a place of being, then what you do is much more aligned with what is needed in the moment, as you are more aligned with yourself and the world) In a moment like this I have been known to say “please, I need a moment to consider this, as I feel it’s important”. People frequently appreciate that you have the presence of mind to do this and at it has the added value of indirectly asking others to also be mindful. What you do in this pause is anything that works to get you to a clearer, balanced, and connected place inside. Perhaps you connect to a place of loving presence if that is available to you. Perhaps you connect to your care and concern about the people involved. Perhaps you simply breathe, and clear your thoughts for moment and see what emerges. The point is to give yourself a chance to access resources and information that you would not normally attend to. This in turn changes what becomes possible. What you do next is now (hopefully), better informed than before. You can speak your truth. “This is complicated for me. I want to be careful here. This matters to me.” At the very least, you have demonstrated that this conversation (and therefore the people in the conversation) matter to you enough that you are actively working to bring more of yourself to bear. And that is the key element here “I’m taking my time here because I care about you”. There is no greater gift than showing up.

If It Feels Weird, You’re Doing Something Right.
Neurologically, this practice of intentionally slowing down or pausing is very important because you are training your brain to associate communication with mindfulness. At first, it feels very awkward – and that is exactly what you want. It’s exactly the state you want your brain to be in – learning something new. When you have that “this feels really weird” awkward sensation, it’s your brain telling you that neurons that don’t normally fire are firing. Neural networks that don’t normally associate are associating. That’s why it feels weird. That’s a very good thing. Over time, and much faster than you think, that feeling goes away and is replaced with a state of high learning. It is uber-critical that you repeat this experience enough times that the neurology behind it becomes easier to fire. Eventually, the association between mindfulness and communications becomes much easier. Then when you choose to become more present, you go deeper, faster than before. Yes, you will still have automatic conversations, but fewer of them as mindfulness becomes much more accessible to you. Relationships deepen as authentic communication becomes built into to your every day life. You become calmer, and happier as you’re able to see a great deal more about other people and yourself than you did before and this is accompanied, when authentic, by an emergent loving presence it is embedded in your words and communicated to others. People start to say things to you like “I feel really heard when I talk to you”. “I feel like you really see me”. And – it’s true. You do really hear them. You do see them more clearly. And the world is better for it.

It’s free. It matters and has the power to change your world and the world around you. What could be more important?