Three types of conversation
doubleA • 21 Oct 2024 •
I started reading my next book today, Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg, on how to improve communication in business and private life. I had previously read The Power Of Habit by Duhigg, which was quite similar to Atomic Habits by James Clear, but for some reason never reached the same popularity.
In the first chapters of Supercommunicators, Duhigg introduces three types of conversations and emphasizes the importance of identifying a given conversation type at the beginning:
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Practical: Conversations about solving problems or making plans
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Emotional: Conversations about how participants are feeling
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Social: Conversations about how people relate to each other and how they deal with interpersonal dynamics
The book will go deeper into each of these types and give instructions on how to identify and navigate them.
Comments
“but for some reason never reached the same popularity”
James Clear played the book launch game very well. Plus he had a massive mailing list before the book came out, which helped a lot with sales.
@therealbrandonwilson This reminds me of Nir Eyal, who wrote a book on how to make addictive products (Hooked), then wrote a book that solves the problems he helped create (Indistractable) 🤣
I forgot to comment on the core message of this post: I’m personally terrible at small talk and initiating convos, especially with people I don’t know. My mind is usually either too deep into a topic that I don’t know how to bring up in conversation or I’m too caught up with my own goals and project planning that I can’t think of any other topic to talk about. I might need to check out the book to help me improve on the social front.
James Clear has really gotten a lot of mileage out of that book. My hope one day is to piggyback on his success with an alter ego called Jim Muddled, who dispenses counterproductive advice.