Once Upon a Conversation
Let’s talk about . . . talking! Conversations are the heartbeat of relationships and yet we so often avoid the sensitive, difficult, intimate, emotional and scary ones. We play it safe and bit by bit our relationships become less intimate, less real, and less satisfying. Join my guests and I, as we explore what makes intimate conversations so scary and why we avoid them. We will talk about how to prepare for them, initiate them and participate in them in ways that deepen intimacy, clarify misunderstandings, repair disconnects, and resolve conflicts. We can learn to bravely ask for change, express our feelings, apologize with grace, see things from new perspectives, and invite growth into our relationships. We can build, repair and deepen our relationships, one conversation at a time. We get personal on this show. We talk about conversations we regret not having, the ones that we are forever grateful we had, the ones we wish we had done differently, and the ones we are currently avoiding.I have spent the last three decades learning, practicing, coaching, mediating and teaching how to effectively approach difficult conversations and conflicts and I still get butterflies before a tough conversation!. Join me . . . and let's get talking!
Once Upon a Conversation
Listening from the Heart with Barbara Hummel
Barbara Hummel, a couples and family counsellor and mediator from Cincinnati, Ohio, talks about how to stay present and listen from your heart. Paying attention to and getting curious about the differences between us can actual make us closer and more connected. She explores how to balance the need of the person who needs to process out loud in the moment with the need of the person who needs to step back and process internally.
"But we do have different perspectives and we do have different opinions. And sometimes I think a conversation is more about, well, I need you to accept that I'm right. And sometimes the conversation is successful when we acknowledge and respect and accept our differences. Now, we might make progress, but once our differences are a source of threat or annoyance, we're no longer making space for that connection."
Around the 23 minute mark she talks about the 6 hour rule!