Why I Write About Dialogue-2024 in Review
She said she wanted to kill herself. Surprising since I had only known for our 15-minute phone call. Working for Unemployment during the Covid-19 pandemic, I was manning the phone lines. Unlike Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes of Fame, our 15 Minutes was not about fame but desperation. I could smell my coffee as she told me about ending it all. My training kicked in, and I immediately asked how she planned for her suicide. She did not have any detailed plan, meaning no imminent danger.
For the next hour, with my supervisor listening, I talked her off the edge. As we connected, I said I was going to have a wellness check go to her house to make sure she was okay. She was grateful. She wrote a letter of appreciation later that week for me. It was my second suicide threat for the month. Covid was a tough time for all of us.
Now, you may think I am telling this true story to show how much of a hero I am, but I am not. We did connect, and because of that connection, she chose life. We connected because of the tools and communication skills I had been taught. The real heroes that day were the Behavioral Economics researchers, communication social scientists, and the philosophers of dialogue.
Learning the tools and caring for our fellow humans is no longer a luxury if it ever was. The epidemic of loneliness has grown into a major problem for our culture. While there has been interesting work on how we got here, my concern is more about how we can help people connect. Communication can be learned and taught.
Creativity, career success, health and wellness, family peace, and even your longevity all depend on how well you communicate. The better your communication is, the better your life is going forward. That is why I write. Below are some links to some of the skills and tools I have covered before.
OPA - Flaming Cheese of Connection
Communicating past the automatic
The importance of Wonder in building communication
The trick of asking unusual questions.