FOCUSED CONVERSATIONBased on the book The Art of

Focused Conversation by R. Brian Stanfield

Objectives Understand the difference between

teaching/training and facilitating. Listen to how a typical conversation

sounds like. Learn about the power of questions. Practice the four levels of the Technology

of Participation.

Select a partner and have a three minute conversation.

Did you….. Interrupt, or feel the desire to interrupt?

Did you….. Interrupt, or feel the desire to interrupt? Feel the need to be witty or use jargon?

Did you….. Interrupt, or feel the desire to interrupt? Feel the need to be witty or use jargon? Display superior knowledge or one-up-

man-ship?

Where you an Advocate or an Inquirer?

Advocate – one who pleads, recommends, or pushes a specific perspective or point of view.

Inquirer – comes at a conversation with an open mind, listening for creative new ideas or options.

Western Culture

Being forceful Articulate advocate Seeks the truth, need to “be right” Expresses opinions about everything

The Tyranny of “OR”

OR

The genius of AND Parallel Truths

I like the new Healthful Living Essential Standards.

I don’t! They are too confusing and the old Standard Course of Study is just fine.

Critical Thinker

.

The easiest critical comment is a negative one.

Criticism

Criticism takes very little effort. All you have to do is choose a different frame of reference and you have a free field to fire your intellectual howitzers.

Criticism

Criticism as the first step in a discussion stops the discussion and is, therefore, generally the last step in the conversation.

Focused ConversationThe power lies in the capacity to ask questions and elicit answers from other.

Focused Conversation

Complex Issues

No one individual

knows the answer

Focused Conversation

The task of the conversation leader is to release the damned up genius, wisdom,

and experience of the group.

Technology of Participation Objective level – questions about facts

and external reality Reflective level – immediate personal

reaction to the data, sometimes emotions or feelings

Interpretive level – questions to draw out meaning, value, significance and implications

Decision level – questions to elicit resolution and bring the discussion to an end

Your Turn

Training/Teaching or Facilitation

Teachers and trainers have been taught to correct, amplify, and amend what has been said.

A leader of a focused conversation has nothing to teach.

Tips for Leading a Focused Conversation

Select a suitable setting

TipsThe first question

TipsSubsequent Questions

TipsGetting off the topic

It is not a discipline problem.

The human brain is very associative,which makes straying away from topics quit easy.

TipsLong or abstract answers

Tips

An argument breaks out

TipsAnswers that are unethical or factually

wrong

Don’t let it pass

Tips

People react to others’ answers

Tips

Closing