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Blog Post
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Conversation in the wildPosted to Gurteen Knowledge-Log by David Gurteen on 26 September 2011 |
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In my knowledge cafes and workshops, a frequent question asked is "what is a conversation". Surprisingly, people cannot agree. Many think an exchange of emails, even SMS messages can be classed as conversations. I disagree. Browsing the dictionary definitions on the web, conversation clearly involves talking. It is an oral, spoken activity, not a written one Here is a definition from the Merrian-Webster dictionary: "an oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas" And another from the Macmillan dictionary: "an informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy" The key words here are oral, exchange and informal. So you can have a conversation, face to face, on the phone or via a video link. Anything else such as email, a written letter, or an exchange of IM or SMS messages are not conversations. I would also add that conversation is highly interactive and takes place in real time - so an exchange of voice messages is also not a conversation. To my mind, the best conversations are face to face, you need to be able to sense other people in their totality; their dress, their body language, their habits, their perfume or cologne; you need to be able to reach out and touch them even. This you cannot do over the phone or even a video link. If you want a real human experience it must be literally face to face; body to body. That's the way conversation evolved, long before writing technology, its what us human beings are good at It's conversation as it exists in the wild.
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01:55 PM GDT |
