Sometimes listening too much can make you question your beliefs and values. You’ve spent years developing a certain mindset. Does it make sense to turn that all around? You obviously have good reasons for feeling and believing what you do. I know I’m right about most things at this point in life. I don’t need the existential angst that comes with changing my mind. The best tactic in this scenario is to plan your rebuttal while the other person is talking. Wasting mental energy listening takes time from thinking of the next thing you want to say.

You're sick of it. I'm sick of it. Can we talk about something other than the pandemic over the holidays?

We all deserve a break, but it can be tough to steer the conversation away from the one topic that's dominated our lives for what seems like forever. This post offers a how-to for setting boundaries and five types of conversation starters to put you on the path of more meaningful connections with family, friends, and acquaintances.

There are so many ways to communicate today! Really, the possibilities for kicking off a conversation with someone are endless. We can reach out to others via email, phone, voice message, video chat, online work platforms such as Slack or Basecamp, and, perhaps the easiest of mediums, the text message. Given all the options, some mediums are better than others for effective communication and a lot depends on context. For example, is texting appropriate for a difficult conversation? Let’s think this through.