[Starry Night Coaching] January Newsletter
Shannon Friedman
How to Balance Your Conversation
In coaching school we’re taught to ask open ended questions. People respond by opening up and it helps them explore their inner world.
In my improv class, we’re trained to do just the opposite! Don’t ask questions, just make statements. The reason behind this is that asking a question puts the work of creation on your partner, whereas in Improv, you want to contribute material to the scene.
Both styles have a place in regular conversation. Open ended questions are useful to encourage your conversational partner to open up and feel your interest. Contributing to the conversation with statements will relieve the other person from the responsibility make conversation, and will help your conversational partner learn about you and your interests.