Talk Versus Conversation

I was on the bus home today, reading blogs on my phone (yes, awesome I know), when I came upon a post I had been meaning to read for weeks titled, “The Forgotten Power of Conversation“. Expecting a sort of top ten list of conversation tips, was surprised to find something a bit more thought provoking:

Conversation is becoming a lost art, replaced by endless talk. To converse is to share ideas and learn from one another in the process. It demands listening and talking in equal degrees. Talk is one-way. All those people endlessly talking into their cellphones, the TV chat shows, the instant pundits on any topic, all of them talk without ceasing yet rarely pause to listen. We live surrounded by constant chatter that amounts to little more than fear of silence.

The distinction between talk versus conversation got me thinking about my own “talk” and instances when I have attempted (successfully) to just fill up space. Started assessing my recent meetings with friends and found that I could easily bucket our dialogue as talk or conversation, and noted just how much more fulfilling real conversation is.

This is where I now write something like, “What do you think? I’m listening” as a crafty way of upping my comment count (!). Totally kidding. Anyway, do check out the article when you get a chance.