How Conversation Works: 6 Lessons for Better Communication

Overview

Get instantly better at communicating by learning six specific strategies to overcome the trickiest and most common conversational obstacles that people encounter.

Regardless of age or occupation, conversation can be tricky. But like it or not, it’s one of the most important things you do on a daily basis. Successful conversations help you advance professionally and make, maintain, and deepen relationships. Moreover, research shows that talking, when done on a substantive level, is correlated with a feeling of happiness and general well-being.

In just six lectures, Professor Curzan teaches you key strategies that can dramatically improve your ability to converse with anyone, from strangers to supervisors. This highly practical course focuses on the fundamental principles you need to become more conversationally aware and savvy at home, in the workplace, and beyond.

You’ll learn graceful ways of pointing out a mistake, asking someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do, preparing a person for “no,” asking for a big favor, and providing information the recipient doesn’t want to hear. You’ll also learn devices for skillfully opening and closing exchanges, taking turns “negotiating the conversational floor,” sending people subtle signals, and sharing the conversational burden to make discussions feel more mutual and enjoyable.

Whether you want to build rapport with colleagues, promote yourself in an interview, give a winning presentation, ingratiate yourself with your boss, or even create a connection on a first date, knowing what to say and how to say it allows for more productive, smoother interactions. Professor Curzan helps you get ahead by outlining simple techniques for accomplishing all of these goals and more.

Course Structure

01: How to Become Conversationally Aware

Discover why the simple act of talking is so important to your success professionally and personally as the professor introduces you to the idea of becoming conversationally aware. Learn and analyze techniques for doing your share of conversational work and consider how gender affects the way we converse.

Duration: 32 min

02: How the Conversational Floor Works

Improve your ability to navigate the conversational floor by exploring turn-taking devices as well as techniques for opening conversations and monitoring or reducing your “talk time.” Weigh the pros and cons of using discourse markers and fillers such as “well,” “um,” and “like,” and understand why being an active listener and back-channeling are crucial to being a good conversationalist.

Duration: 30 min

03: How and When to Be Direct and Indirect

Interpreting the meaning behind the words that people say is key to making conversations work well. Consider the logic of conversation and understand more consciously the way we use explicit and implicit meanings—direct and indirect speech—to accomplish things through conversation. Also learn ways to redirect conversations that feel inappropriate or questions you find overly personal.

Duration: 28 min

04: How to Navigate Face-Threatening Acts

Situations that threaten another’s “face” or dignity are particularly complicated. Explore methods for managing this difficult social territory, including guidance on enhancing positive face, respecting personal space, offering a successful apology, and navigating the politics of giving a compliment. Consider how cultural differences of politeness affect expectations in this area.

Duration: 34 min

05: How to Negotiate Professional Relationships

Turn to hierarchical relationships and self-promotion in the workplace with an investigation of the language of sophisticated ingratiation. Get strategies for making presentations feel more like conversations, ensuring listeners are engaged, and interviewing effectively—on both sides of the desk. Then, delve into the dynamics of doctor-patient communication, where effective conversation can lead to better outcomes.

Duration: 32 min

06: How to Maintain Relationships with Talk

Compare “report talk” with “rapport talk” to understand how discourse can simply relay information or build intimacy with a friend or romantic partner. Look at the fascinating research on how cooperative and competitive speaking styles differ, how parents model conversation for children from infancy, how language alignment can predict relationship success, and how electronic communications follow similar patterns.

Duration: 34 min