Paradoxically, the art of dialogue has dissipated with the proliferation of communication vehicles and mobile technology. Now, if my sons heard me say this, they would exclaim: “you sound so old!” Why talk on the phone when a quick text message will do?
As business owners and entrepreneurs, we’re bombarded 24/7 by information and 1-way communications. This is certainly a challenge to manage – but even more distressing, is the growing inability in our society to have a dialogue about impassioned issues among individuals with differing opinions. Folks today seem quick to move to the extreme, entrench themselves in a position and see the issues as black or white. The business world, however, is an environment that requires an appreciation for shades of gray. If entrepreneurs listened to all the naysayers, we would have no innovation.
Dialogue is critical. We need to re-learn the practice of meeting face-to-face, or at least having a phone conversation, instead of depending on text and e-mail because it is more expeditious and less confrontational. Not only is this important to spark creativity and optimized thinking, it’s the best way to strengthen long term relationships with customers and employees alike.
As I was preparing this article, I searched for other writings on this topic. Interestingly, one of the most relevant articles I found was written in 2008. Yes, this isn’t a new problem – 2-way dialogue is an art that has been disappearing for some time now. I encourage you to take a look at http://bit.ly/1nLsVl6 to garner some insights on how you can strengthen your dialogue skills – then reflect on changes you want to make in your everyday interactions.
© 2014 by Steve Carples (Synergistics Consulting www.synconsult.com). All rights reserved.
