The Power of Future Conversation

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The Power of Future Conversation

• TLN Brown Bag
• 1/18/07

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Principle 1

• Be aware of the power of conversation and pay
  close attention to how you speak and listen.

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Conversation Distinctions

• The past is the realm of history
• The present is the realm of action
• The future is the realm of possibility.

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Principle 2

• Dont allow conversations to drift into the past
  realm
• use past statements to establish a connection and
  then move on.

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Average Conversations

• 80 realm of history
• What worked, what didnt, why
• 15 realm of action
• Present action statements
• 5 realm of possibility
• Where the future is created
• Flip it around!

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Past Realm Speech

• Opinions
• Assessments
• Interpretations
• Comparisons
• Analyses
• Judgments

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Principle 3

• Shift the conversation
• first from the past
• then to the future
• and then to the present

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Future Statements Declarations

• What if
• I think its possible to
• We can do
• This team is capable of
• Repeat declaration if necessary, persist in the
  future realm

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Present Statements Requests

• Requests initiate action
• Saying EXACTLY what is to be done
• Saying EXACTLY when it must be done
• Saying EXACTLY who will be doing it

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Proper Responses

• Accept
• Decline
• Counter Offer
• Promise to reply later (EXACTLY when?)

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To the Point

• Clear requests and proper replies are the best
  way to ensure that declarations of possibilities
  are followed by actions.

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Present Statements Promises

• Must also state EXACTLY what and when will be
  done.
• Promises create action.

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Principle 4

• Be aware of, manage, and change the broad,
  invisible, unspoken conversations that determine
  the way people see and interpret the world.

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Principle 5

• Manage your listening and that of others by
  substituting affirmative for reactive listening

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Listening Skills

• Reactive listening listening to
• Affirmative listening listening for
• Listen affirmatively to others as well as your
  own thoughts.

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Couching

• Use this when you expect an adverse response
• This might seem farfetched, but let me finish
• It seems like a waste of time, but lets take
  the time anyway

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Based On

• the book Leadership and the Art of
  Conversation by Kim Krisco