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Coaching Currents |
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Dear Subscriber, Welcome to the latest issue of "coaching currents from dbcoach"! Each month, this newsletter will offer you some thoughts and ideas based on my experiences as a coach. Have you had a conversation lately? Are you missing the dialog that leads to deeper understanding and awareness? This month's article talks about what we are missing and how we can get it back. I hope you find this edition of the 'coaching currents' both practical and inspirational. Feel free to share it with colleagues and friends. Warmly,
Last week I attended a conference, called CAM, in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. I have been to many conferences, where the usual format includes keynote speeches from well-known and respected experts in their fields, followed by breakout sessions one can choose from. Typically, you are confined to your chair and talked to. If you are lucky you have an engaging speaker who captures your imagination. Sometimes you just have to endure or you leave and pick a different break out session. CAM, Conversation Among Masters, was refreshingly different. The Grove Park Inn, a stunning resort, overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, provided a relaxing and beautiful environment. I loved the idea of rocking chairs everywhere. As a matter of fact, for one of the sessions we were all sitting in rocking chairs. How fun! What really struck me though was the fact that despite the program keeping us busy all day, we were fully engaged throughout the day. Rather than being talked to or at, we were having conversations all day long, over breakfast with colleagues, during the morning with a guest, who introduced a specific topic, which served as a foundation to engage in conversation with him or her. Over lunch, we would deepen the discussions with our peers and bring back ideas for the larger group to discuss. This format allowed us to deepen a subject matter and broaden our awareness by listening or expressing different points of view. Not only did we make deeper connections but we gained insights we wouldn't have had, had we simply been talked to. Previously, I would leave a conference full in my mind, but somehow depleted. This time, I left energized and inspired with lots of ideas and dreams. I made great friends and can't wait to continue the conversations with them. This experience made me think about how we communicate these days. In the morning everyone rushes out the door, we call others and leave voicemail messages. We send email and text messages. On our way to work, few people carpool, most cars only have one passenger, namely the driver. In case we take the train, everyone stays with their own thoughts. Once at the office, people spend more time on the computer than talking with people. Anyone lucky enough to be able to work from home is craving human interaction or else gets stir crazy. Whatever happened to the art of conversation? It's valuable for our wellbeing, but we are losing it. If you look at the next generation, the trend becomes even more glaring. Today's teenagers are capable of multitasking with lots of electronic devices, but do they know how to converse? I believe our brain needs it, our heart yearns it and our soul craves it. There is a German tradition, called "Stammtisch." In many German restaurants, especially the long established ones, you will find a large table in the corner with a plaque identifying the "Stammtisch." This table is an open invitation to locals, but usually others are welcome to sit together and talk, sometimes daily, sometimes once a week. The "Stammtisch" is my reminder to continue the art of conversation. Why else would there be so many book clubs, knitting groups, tailgate parties and networking events? But conversation takes time, time that is
precious. Don't let the art of conversation
die. Ask yourself how you can incorporate
more conversation into your life. Take a
break and stroll down to the water cooler.
Stop eating lunch at your desk. Start a
discussion group or a book club. Take the
time to talk to your neighbor. Have coffee
with a friend. Have dinner with your family.
Turn off the computer, TV and go for a walk
with a friend. The list of possibilities is
endless. I want to encourage and challenge
you to ask yourself: Dedicated to my "Sisters in Starlight", whom I met at CAM and whom I am looking forward to continuing the conversation with.
As many of you know, I have broadened my spectrum and in addition to individual executive coaching I have added team coaching, a process that takes the team from where they are to where they need to be in order to produce sustainable excellence, and shadow coaching, where executives get real time input into how they come across to others and how they can have more impact, to my list of tools. My business thrives through referrals. Please note that any referral that leads to a contract will result in a complimentary coaching session for you!
"A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month's study of books." ~ Chinese Proverbs
"The Age of Conversation" by Gavin Heaton Description: If ideas are the currency of our times then this is, undoubtedly, the Age of Conversation, for without the art of dialog, the cut and thrust of debate and discussion, then the economy of ideas would implode under its own heavy weight. Instead, the reverse is true. Far from seeing an implosion, we are living in a time of proliferation - ideas build upon ideas, discussion grows from seeds of thought and single headlines give rise to a thousand medusa-like simulations echoing words whispered somewhere on the other side of the planet. All this - in an instant. In what began as a half dare, the editors, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan challenged bloggers around the world to contribute one page - 400 words - on the topic of "conversation". The resulting book, The Age of Conversation, brings together over 100 of the world's leading marketers, writers, thinkers and creative innovators in a ground-breaking and unusual publication.
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