Twenty-eight years ago I began my first experiment in what I call conversational intelligence. I was hired by Union Carbide to work with 17 high-powered sales executives in danger of losing a bid for a key contract.
Meaningful conversation has devolved to millions of people throwing around pictures, sound bytes and narrow conclusions on topics most are not afforded the time to study or reflect upon.
Diamonds, chocolate, and a candlelit dinner with red roses on the table are always welcome, but there is one thing we women want that we aren't getting. Although I'm only 23 years old, the experiences I have had with men tell me a lot about where the male species is going wrong.
The two forms of communication -- virtual and physical -- can work in tandem, but the physical kind obviously takes a bit more effort, but most often results in a far more meaningful experience.
At the risk of seeming New York-centric, I believe people here tend to be more culturally-diverse and more engaged in what goes on around them than people in most other places, so our conversations tend to be more interesting -- and often more unguarded.
I had a chance to talk with Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, about their commitment to make big bets, innovate, learn from failure, collaborate and do it all with a sense of urgency.
It really does matter how we exit our relationships. If we get into unhealthy patterns of throwing people away, or cutting them off without so much as a word, we damage ourselves. And we damage other people who were simply caught being human.
To start, Facebook is rolling the feature out to Pages, and that makes sense, as Pages often get the most engagement. It remains to be seen how useful the functionality would be for regular profiles.
Since conversations are such a key part of the HuffPost experience, we are always thinking about how to make them better, simpler, more engaging, and more fulfilling. That's why today we're introducing HuffPost Conversations, a system that upgrades the way you comment on HuffPost, while leaving alone the aspects that have made the comments section so vibrant in the first place. We've added a cleaner layout and a new functionality, so your online conversations become more like back-and-forth exchanges. For example, if you're discussing a HuffPost story with more than two people, you will now see a "Read Conversation" button that will make the exchange easier to follow: who said what, when they said it, and what they were responding to. And since we're always looking for ways to expand the conversation and bring in new voices, it's now possible to share individual comments on Facebook and Twitter.
As a result of the dinners, vibrant networks and passionate partners have been created for these causes. Here are a few ground rules that help these dinners succeed.
While this is a time for reconnecting and sharing special moments, it's also a time when issues related to aging and health come to the forefront as family members recognize a change in the wellness and safety of their loved ones.
I am always overjoyed when my family is able to get together, but as in every family, there are some topics that are off limits in conversation with c...
By Amy Shearn Cocktail parties invariably lead to awkward encounters with strangers, but you don't have to talk about the weather. Here's how to ge...
Occasionally, candidates for electoral office seem even less aware than the rest of the populace about what "democracy" means or ought to mean. Once in a while -- not often enough -- they pay a price at the polls for their obtuseness. This election was one such time.
Were it not for Fran Lebowitz, celebrated author, humorist and social commentator, the art of pontification might be lost. Lebowitz hails from the by-gone era when people sat around in cafes all day, observing life around them and going on about it.
We teach the kids of people we know, and those kids then work in the local businesses and, if you stay in the game long enough, you teach their kids down the road.
For every Grand Inquisitor, there is a St. Francis of Assisi. For every Osama bin Laden, there is a Mother Teresa. Anything in the universe that humans touch will be ever thus: strands of good, evil and everything in between.
At a certain age, does everyone feel like they have had every conversation they are ever going to have -- that every conversation (other than those with intimates) is pre-packaged, as if chosen from a sampler menu on an airplane playlist?
Most of us don't realize that our family tree plays a pretty important role in determining our own health. Beyond Dad's freckles, Mom's blue eyes and Grandma's math gene, what else has been passed down for generations? Health issues are inherited and knowing your history is critical.
Nuit #1 begins with its main characters, Clara (Catherine de Léan) and Nikolai (Dimitri Storoge), engaged in a superficial but strenuous bout of sex, having just met each other at a rave and retreated to Nikolai's sparsely appointed apartment.
1. "Who are you texting?" 2. "Oh, I just assumed you'd pay." 3. "I don't think women are funny. Especially lesbians." 4. "My Dad is my best f...
I spoke with a few other women who were somewhat panicked that their kids were going to be gone. It wasn't worry for the kids. Rather, it was worry for themselves. What were they going to do alone with just each other for two weeks?
The reason letting go can be difficult is that we actually believe that our story is true in the sense that it accurately describes what happened or what caused the present to be the way it is.
Resignation leaves us in a kind of unthinking stupor living day-to-day as if not much matters -- totally unconscious of the fact our point of view and conversations are "closed" and creating a predictable and circumstantially determined future.
Strictly speaking, technological advancements should improve our ability to communicate with each other. While they do in many instances, I sense interpersonal communication has deteriorated.
