Converse Well is for anyone who wants to move from polite small talk to working relationships with real trust in them: the new starter meeting the team, the professional at a networking event, the manager whose people keep their real concerns to themselves. It is a companion to Vanessa Van Edwards' book Conversation and its official workbook, and I ask you to read the book alongside it.
The course follows her three levels of conversation. In the first you find what you share with someone; in the second you learn what they hope for; in the third you come to understand the stories people tell about themselves. Along the way you work on first impressions, presence, conversations that keep flowing, hard conversations, humour, clear speech and keeping in touch.
Start Here sets your goals in My Conversation Goals and maps My Five People. Script Swaps and My First Three Questions replace the usual openers, My Logline gives you a short answer to "What do you do?", and Graceful Exits shows you how to end a conversation well. In Hard Conversations, Name the Wall, the GOOD Feedback Builder and the High-Stakes Planner prepare you for the talks that matter most, and the Pebbling Plan and Introductions That Connect help you keep in touch and connect others. My Answers: Work and Team gives you questions for colleagues to answer yourself first, then ask.
On WorkSmart4Life this course sits under Connect, the move about teams, leading and conversation, beside Big Talk and Talk Well. It comes with the Conversation Advisor, where you can describe a conversation you are facing and get practical answers with a tool to practise. Begin with Where Should I Start?; a free 24-hour trial of the whole course is open to you.
Dr Alten du PlessisFounder, WorkSmart4Life