Week 36: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies & "Compassionate Conversations"

So, WHY THIS BOOK? ⁠

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We have conversations all day long and I have been on a journey to look into how to have better conversations. Being a really good listener and understanding others when their opinions may not be the same as yours can be tough. I found this book helped me to be more compassionate when it came to difficult conversations. This book provided tips and techniques on how to pause and slow your breathing down to not become as reactive.⁠

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Here are my top 3 takeaways from the book:⁠

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✨ This quote was powerful for me: When we attempt to have conversations about race, gender, politics or religion, we are not simply talking about our differences. We are also talking about how we value and devalue them, how we wield power, and how we inflict suffering on one another. Read that again and let me know your thoughts on this.⁠

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✨ The section on the conscious use of power was really interesting. It is defined as sharing it, distributing it or finding new ways to structure it. This section talks about how leaders who are self aware and use their power to do allow others to shine and to get input from others. I will try to be more conscious of this when having conversations.⁠

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✨ This book finishes off with an example of the authors facilitating a session and they were doing an exercise on how the participants identified and one person said I identify as a black woman and looking at this person they looked like a white man. The author says the room fell silent and I almost felt like I was there in the room. I don’t want to ruin this example by telling you but the way the author navigated the situation was powerful, insightful and kind. ⁠

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After reading this book I am walking away with more techniques on how to have more deeper and compassionate conversations. It is another book I highly recommend. ✅⁠

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Let me know your thoughts, in the comments below. How many of you have read this?⁠

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