The Art Of Focused Conversation

Download or read book The Art of Focused Conversation written by The Institue for Cultural Affairs and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2013-07-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The best 'how-to' for encouraging consensus in firms and organizations. Communication within many organizations has been reduced to email, electronic file transfer, and hasty sound bytes at hurried meetings. More and more, people appear to have forgotten the value of wisdom gained by ordinary conversations. The Art of Focused Conversation convincingly restores this most human of attributes to prime place within businesses and organizations, and demonstrates what can be accomplished through the medium of focused conversation. Developed, tested, and extensively used by professionals in the field of organizational development, The Art of Focused Conversation is an invaluable resource for all those working to improve communications in firms and organizations.

Download or read book The Art of Focused Conversation for Schools, Third Edition written by Jo Nelson and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2013-08-20 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why don’t kids learn? Why can’t students do higher order thinking? Why do educators have endless staff meetings with few results? How can parents and teachers communicate better? The pressure upon educators to teach more, to a wider range and number of students, with decreasing resources and supports makes it urgent to find tools to answer such questions. The Art of Focused Conversation for Schools demonstrates how the Focused Conversation method, widely used in organizations and businesses, can effectively be used in a K-12 educational setting. Each section deals with interactions among students, staff, and parents, and elaborates with over 100 sample conversations designed to make learning more meaningful, prevent and solve problems, and make communications in meetings more effective. Appendices showcase integrated curriculum examples where conversations have been used in unique combinations and list sample questions for each level of the conversation method. With a bibliography and index included, and patterned after its highly successful predecessor, The Art of Focused Conversation: 100 Ways to Access Group Wisdom in the Workplace, this book will be welcomed by parents, students, educators, and school administrators everywhere. The Institute of Cultural Affairs has over 40 years experience in more than 32 nations. A unique facilitation, research and training organization, ICA Canada has provided participatory skills to many thousands of people worldwide.

Download or read book The Art of Gathering written by Priya Parker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-04-14 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together—at home, at work, in our communities, and beyond. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive--which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker takes us inside events of all kinds to show what works, what doesn't, and why. She investigates a wide array of gatherings--conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp--and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience. The result is a book that's both journey and guide, full of exciting ideas with real-world applications. The Art of Gathering will forever alter the way you look at your next meeting, industry conference, dinner party, and backyard barbecue--and how you host and attend them.

Download or read book The Art of Conversation written by Judy Apps and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-06-03 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good conversation is at the heart of networking, meetings, interviews, negotiations and raising your profile. It can ease your way in work, enabling you to build alliances, create strong relationships with staff, bosses and clients, succeed at interviews, motivate and inspire. But conversation is something most of us were never taught! We learn to speak as babies, but how conversation actually works is something most of us pick up only haphazardly, and many have yet to learn. Why is it some of us are stuck for words, but others blabber or can’t stop? What is it that some people have naturally which enables them to converse comfortably and easily, to engage people and build better relationships? The Art of Conversation will show you step by step how to converse skillfully and enjoyably with other people, at home, at work, on the phone and in the street- even if you’re daunted now, discover the difference good conversation can make in every aspect of your life. Learn to: -Overcome the most common block to good conversation- fear; find out how to break the silence and keep the conversation going - Understand the different types of conversation and how they work- which topics and language are suitable for the occasion - Learn simple methods for being heard and understood, including speaking clearly and audibly, listening well and using non-verbal communication - Find out how to hold a conversation in tricky situations, including how to disagree, how to speak to those in authority and people you find difficult -Use conversation to form relationships, improve friendships, make the sale, chat people up, to learn, influence and persuade.

Download or read book The Art of Conversation written by Peter Burke and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 1993 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Art of Conversation is a major contribution to the social history of language – a relatively new field which has become the focus of lively interdisciplinary debate in recent years. Drawing on the work of sociolinguists and others, Burke uses their concept while reserving the right to qualify their theories where the historical record makes this seem appropriate. Like the sociolinguists, Burke in concerned with the way language varies according to who is communicating to whom, on what occasion, in what medium and on what topic. Unlike many sociolinguists, Burke adds a historical dimension, treating language as an inseparable part of social history. This approach is outlined and justified in the first chapter and then exemplified in the remaining four, which deal with the early modern period. Among the topics discussed are the changing role of Latin, which is shown to be very much alive in the age of its alleged decline; language and identity in Italy, a politically divided region at the time but one where educated elites had a common language; the art of conversation, in other words the advice on speaking in polite company offered in hundreds of treaties of the period; and silence, viewed as an act of communication with a significance which changes over time and varies according to the setting and the persons who are silent. The Art of Conversation will be of great interest to students and scholars in social and cultural history, linguistics, the sociology of language and the ethnography of communication.

Download or read book The Lost Art of Good Conversation written by Sakyong Mipham and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2017 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cutting through all the white noise, chatter, and superficiality our cell phones and social media cause, one of Tibet's highest and most respected spiritual leaders offers simple and practical advice to help us increase our attentions spans, become better listeners, and strive to appreciate the people around us. In this easy to understand and helpful book, Sakyong Mipham provides inspiring ideas and practical tips on how to be more present in your day-to-day life, helping us to communicate in ways that elevates the dignity of everyone involved. Great for families, employees and employers and everyone who spend too much time on Facebook, Instagram, and feel "disconnected" in our "connected" world, Good Conversation is a journey back to basics.

Download or read book The Courage to Lead written by R. Brian Stanfield and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-04 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To transform society, we first need to transform ourselves. The Courage to Lead starts from this premise and delivers a strong, simple message: if you relate authentically to life, to yourself, to the world and to society, you start the process of social change. Grounded in more than fifty years of in-depth research and practical experience in over thirty nations, The Courage to Lead uses a large canvas to paint a vivid picture of leadership in its many forms: personal, family, work, organization, community. Activist stories from around the world demonstrate the profound premise and inspires a deep understanding of leadership. This is a book that changes lives. These days, the complexity of life tends to leave us paralyzed. The Courage to Lead will help people move out of their paralysis and invite them to join the ranks of those social pioneers who create what is needed for the 21st century. This book speaks to you in a strange language that you do not at first remember but that you will eventually recognize as your mother tongue. David Patterson CEO, Northwater Capital Management The Courage to Lead provided me with a great deal of guidance and support at a time when I needed to make significant life decisions. It also provided me with a framework and a language to better understand who I am, where I needed to be and where I wanted to go. I recommend this course to anyone who is open to a transformative experience in which one brings many important life questions into focus. Garret Keown Teacher-in-Training, Lakehead University 325 University Health Network (UHN) staff have participated in The Courage to Lead study program over the last five years. The fundamental principles in the book align with our belief that "everyone can lead from where they stand." We think that leadership is not about a formal role or job title but about a philosophy, values and attitude in how one approaches life. This program has helped staff tap into the leader within themselves and, in doing so, has supported our mission to deliver excellent patient-centered care. Irene Wright Senior Development Manager, Human Resources, University Health Network