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 it’s one of the most important things you do daily. Successful conversations help you advance professionally and deepen relationships. Research shows that substantive talking correlates with happiness and 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 practical course focuses on the fundamental principles you need to become more conversationally aware and savvy at home, in the workplace, and beyond.

Course Content

01: How to Become Conversationally Aware

Discover the importance of talking for your success and learn techniques for doing your share of conversational work, considering how gender affects conversation. (32 min)

02: How the Conversational Floor Works

Improve your ability to navigate conversations by exploring turn-taking devices, opening techniques, and the importance of active listening and back-channeling. (30 min)

03: How and When to Be Direct and Indirect

Understand the logic of conversation by interpreting explicit and implicit meanings, and learn how to redirect inappropriate conversations or overly personal questions. (28 min)

04: How to Navigate Face-Threatening Acts

Explore methods for managing situations that threaten another’s dignity, including enhancing positive face, respecting personal space, and navigating compliments. (34 min)

05: How to Negotiate Professional Relationships

Investigate the language of ingratiation in hierarchical relationships, strategies for engaging presentations, and effective communication dynamics in doctor-patient interactions. (32 min)

06: How to Maintain Relationships with Talk

Compare “report talk” with “rapport talk” to understand how discourse can relay information or build intimacy, and explore how language alignment predicts relationship success. (34 min)