Moses Ting's inspiration and design notebook.
I heartily agree with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi when he says in Finding Flow:
The secret of starting a good conversation is really quite simple. The first step is to find out what the other person’s goals are: What is he interested in at the moment? What is she involved in? What has he or she accomplished, or is trying to accomplish? If any of this sounds worth pursuing, the next step is to utilize one’s own experience or expertise on the topics raised by the other person — without trying to take over the conversation, but developing it jointly. A good conversation is like a jam session in jazz, where on starts with conventional elements and then introduces spontaneous variations that create an exciting new composition.
The key is “without trying to take over the conversation.” A conversation is by definition a two way exchange. We’ve all experienced conversations where the other party just keeps going on and on, without taking the time to pause and listen to what you might have to say. Don’t be the jerk on the other side.
