When you think about all the conversations you have in just one day – with spouses, children, colleagues, customers, prospects, bosses, teams – it reminds you of the importance of having good conversations.

And conversations come in many forms:  meetings, one-on-ones, presentations, phone calls, emails, texts, etc.

The ability to converse in a respectful, meaningful way is a core competency of great leaders and effective organizations. Good conversations – good meetings – foster understanding, expose issues, and set the stage for solutions.

According to Paul Axtell, author of Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversations, effective conversation has four key elements that we should strive for:

1. Clarity means everyone understands what is being said in the same way. When people leave conversations without clarity, they are forced to make interpretations about what happened or about what someone truly thinks. Or they leave thinking one thing and others leave thinking something else.
2. Candor means everyone says what they think. It means being authentic, honest, and straightforward. It’s not about saying anything and everything that occurs to you. It’s about being willing to express what hasn’t yet been said that would add value or would let people know where you stand on an issue. Without candor, you sacrifice ideas and alignment.
3. Commitment means you agree on who will take what actions and in what time frame after the conversation. Without specific commitments in time, you shouldn’t expect anything to happen. Discussing an item does not mean anyone will do anything about it. It’s simply good project management to determine who will do what by when.
4. Completion means everything that needs to be said or asked has been expressed before moving on to the next topic. If things are left unsaid or questions are not asked, you can’t expect that people are either clear or aligned.

Meetings – conversations – are too important to be left to small talk, platitudes, and meandering digressions.

Designing and leading meetings that are facilitated with productive conversations is a competency that should be valued and nurtured. Getting everyone on the same page improves culture, increases productivity, and makes it more fun as you go.

Have a great week.

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