“Conversational intelligence” by Judith E. Glaser

The author 🖋

Judith E. Glaser was a bestselling author and a renowned organizational anthropologist recognized as one of Leadership Excellence's top 20 thought leaders.

She was also the founder of the CreatingWE Institute and Benchmark Communications, Inc through which she advised many Fortune 500 companies on leadership, culture and teamwork.

Key takeaways 🎓

1. The importance of trust

Trust is like the glue that holds good conversations together.

When we trust each other, we feel safe to share our thoughts and feelings.

Without trust, we hold back and don’t say what we really think which leads to unproductive conversations and misunderstandings.

2. Neuroscience behind conversations

Conversations impact our brain chemistry, whether we like it or not.

Positive conversations trigger the release of a feel-good chemical - oxytocin - that helps us connect and collaborate.

Negative conversations release a stress chemical - cortisol - that makes it hard to think clearly and cooperate.

3. The three types of conversations

Transactional - casual chats and basic exchanges of information.

Positional - debates where we argue for our own viewpoints.

Transformational - deep talks where we truly listen to each other and create new ideas together.

Closing thoughts 🧠

The book explores the science behind conversations and offers a practical framework for improving how we communicate.

Glaser highlights the importance of conversational intelligence (C-IQ) and how it can lead to stronger relationships and better outcomes in both personal and professional settings.