People often assume conversations start when someone asks a question.
I think they start when someone feels understood.
The question simply gives them a place to enter. The real work happened earlier, when the writer demonstrated they understood the problem the reader was experiencing.
Love that Karen! That's a great point. You can really signal you are open to feedback or not. I actually had someone point out that some of my writing was lending toward me speaking from "above" which does not open the door near as much as here's what I've learned and I think you can use it too. That's my goal at least, because to your point I think it opens the door to better conversations!
I think people can usually tell the difference between someone trying to demonstrate expertise and someone inviting them into a shared exploration.
Ironically, I've found that writing from curiosity rather than certainty often creates much richer conversations. People seem more willing to add their own perspective when they feel they're joining the discussion instead of being lectured.
Here's the best part... "a Note that doesn’t start a conversation can’t start a conversion."
Love it! I think I'm going to restack this right now and quote you on it. Thanks for you're great article Yana!
Best,
Paul Arino
Thanks for them comment Paul. I’m glad that hit home for you. A conversation should be the goal!
People often assume conversations start when someone asks a question.
I think they start when someone feels understood.
The question simply gives them a place to enter. The real work happened earlier, when the writer demonstrated they understood the problem the reader was experiencing.
Love that Karen! That's a great point. You can really signal you are open to feedback or not. I actually had someone point out that some of my writing was lending toward me speaking from "above" which does not open the door near as much as here's what I've learned and I think you can use it too. That's my goal at least, because to your point I think it opens the door to better conversations!
I really like that distinction.
I think people can usually tell the difference between someone trying to demonstrate expertise and someone inviting them into a shared exploration.
Ironically, I've found that writing from curiosity rather than certainty often creates much richer conversations. People seem more willing to add their own perspective when they feel they're joining the discussion instead of being lectured.
Completely agree. Writing from curiosity is a huge first step.
I am going to apply some of this to my own posts.
Really great stuff.
Love it! Let me know how it works out for you!
Excited to hear how it helps you out.