Opening the Window to Genuine Conversations

She looked at me quizzically and said: “What a breath of fresh air! The conversation we just had, you know.”

“What did you like about the conversation?” I asked.

“Well, we don’t usually speak like this at work. Straight talk about what we really think and even feel about decisions. Today we got to speak our mind, yet weren’t uncomfortable and overly serious about it. I usually hate meetings and yet I could be in meetings like this all day!”

What this young technician experienced was a big dose of “genuine” in the setting of a tough group conversation. She was pleasantly surprised by the direct questions that were respectfully asked, and the direct answers that were delivered with poignancy and humour. The atmosphere was cheerful, yet the topic was serious.

So how did the meeting organizers create the right conditions for participants to express themselves in earnest? Wasn’t the topic the dreaded transformation project, the one that could impact their jobs, their careers, their motivation and self-esteem?