WHAT IS A 'CONVERSATION EVENT'?
A 'conversation event' is any
occasion, lasting any length of time, in which conversation is an essential
part of the planning. For example, in this definition, a play on its own is not
a 'conversation event', but a play followed by a programmed conversation about
it is.
On a smaller scale, inviting a
group of friends for a meal or a drink is not a 'conversation event', but if
you have decided on a focus for conversation – for example, childhood or
relationships or the special food you are eating – then it is.
If you are a member of a regular
book group, in which of course, conversation is core, you may like to think
about how you may extend or deepen the conversations you have. For example, you
may have a meeting in which everyone shares the story of a book that has made a
great impact on them and why.
We are interested in hearing what
you discover at any of the events you plan. What made them successful? What
might you do differently next time? These are valuable tips to pass on.
However, there is another kind of
'conversation event'. It is the kind that is unplanned – where you say, with
surprise, 'That was a great conversation!' Many of these seem to come out of
nowhere. But what made it so special?
What was it about? What did you learn from it? One of the attractions of
conversations is that they are one-off, in-the-moment, events. Not all
conversations can be 'great conversations' – we'd be exhausted! - but we can
learn from many of them and share together what we've learned about how to plan
them and to nurture them.
Conversation, writes Sherry
Turkle, in Reclaiming Conversation,
is ‘the most human – and humanizing thing we do...It’s where we develop
the capacity for empathy. It’s where we experience the joy of being heard, of
being understood. And conversation advances self-reflection, the conversations
with ourselves that are the cornerstone of early development and continue
throughout life.’