"What elements characterize interesting, good or successful conversations in different media?" Nathan Shedroff

It often amazes me that even though I know that though conversations are the backbone of … well most things really, and certainly good conversation can act as a positive catalyst…there is still much to be learned about them! And certainly a lot to be dissiminated that is already known and once we have learned more.

One area often overlook is the significant impact of physical context/environment, not only our conversations but on their outcome. For instance,  sitting at a circle vs a square table, meeting in a natural place or a board room and so on. Adding media into the mix is a contextual shift and with its continued and evolving presence in our lives is certainly an area I think worth (and interesting) exploring!

I have written on such things in various ways - for example here and here

All of which is my way of musing on the question posed by Nathan, any thoughts?

On a slightly related but tangental note, I have been meaning to publish this quote/story about being present in conversation, even if media exists to make us contactable 24/7 and it tends to also render us not present to the conversation we are in. This was relayed to me by Marge. The context: the man, Ed Jones, is, ahem, older in earth years, and refused to get an answering machine (this is only 15 years ago people!). The wisdom, I think, is even more important today, and I believe a crucial element in answering Nathan’s question: 

"When I am here, I am here

When I am there, I am there

And when I am there, I am not here"

- Ed Jones

Happy conversing across media platforms! Oh and before I go, I always find it useful to offer visual representations and this one (below), recently discovered on Nathan Shedroff’s website is certainly appealing to me! 

Interestingly enough, I believe Blogging..and Wiki/forum type media, is missing from the matrix and would like to see it in it …as you all know, though I do blog, I do so often holding the contradiction that its ‘flat’ / 2D nature doesn’t offer the best conversational space…

PS Thanks Alice for the forward!

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 13th, 2006 at 1:55 pm and is filed under change, conversation, internet, knowledge & wisdom, questions, quotes, technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.