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Time to converse : At the Heart of Human Warmth
"This book brings to the fore the crucial importance of real conversation and treating each other well, and points out the close relationship this has to the Golden Rule (do as you would be done by), giving many and amusing examples and quotations on how good things happen when we act in this way.
It talks about the various kinds of conversation and the significance of the genuinely friendly, open-ended kind, which has appeared to be in decline. And makes clear that it can give rise to unpredicted good new ideas, while valuing the contributions of all involved in the conversation and boosting everyone’s sense of well-being.
Many ideas are presented on how to bring about this kind of conversational dance, and ways in which one can begin and continue to notice how this comes into life and how we may act on this at every opportunity.
"
It talks about the various kinds of conversation and the significance of the genuinely friendly, open-ended kind, which has appeared to be in decline. And makes clear that it can give rise to unpredicted good new ideas, while valuing the contributions of all involved in the conversation and boosting everyone’s sense of well-being.
Many ideas are presented on how to bring about this kind of conversational dance, and ways in which one can begin and continue to notice how this comes into life and how we may act on this at every opportunity.
"
109 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2013
About the author
Alan Stewart
71 books3 followersAlan Stewart is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He is the author of the biographies Philip Sidney: A Double Life and Hostage to Fortune: The Troubled Life of Francis Bacon (with Lisa Jardine)>. He was previously Reader in Renaissance Studies at Birbeck, University of London, and Associate Director of the AHRB Centre for Editing Lives and Letters.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 30, 2013
This is a short, sweet book that reminded me a lot about the premise and conclusions in Nancy Kline's Time to Think book - we need to be listened to, we need to do more than just connect superficially. We need meaning through conversation. Conversation helps us to think. Relationships exist through conversing. Conversing is a dance. Content wise, it hit home. I liked that there were many quotes from other authors and philosophers- some of whom I had not heard of before. Any book that leads me to other interesting books is a good book.
On the downside, it seems to be a wrapper around a journal the author may have kept, and is not terribly well organized or edited. I found quite a few typos.
Sections I liked:
The section on behaviors and outcomes for people who converse well.
The section on conversing with strangers - giving both hints at how and why to do this - as a way of practicing giving joy to another human.
The section at the end: asking the reader provocative questions about how this book affected them and urging them to practice.
On the downside, it seems to be a wrapper around a journal the author may have kept, and is not terribly well organized or edited. I found quite a few typos.
Sections I liked:
The section on behaviors and outcomes for people who converse well.
The section on conversing with strangers - giving both hints at how and why to do this - as a way of practicing giving joy to another human.
The section at the end: asking the reader provocative questions about how this book affected them and urging them to practice.
Displaying 1 of 1 review