Straight Forward Conversations

This episode tackles a phenomenon that's all too common in our digital age—ghosting.

Have you ever been left wondering what went wrong after someone suddenly disappeared from your life? Whether it happened in the realm of online dating, a transaction on Facebook Marketplace, or even among friends at a gathering, ghosting leaves a trail of confusion, frustration, and unresolved emotions.

In today's episode, we'll explore:

1. Ghosting Experiences: I'll share three recent encounters where ghosting reared its head in different contexts, highlighting how this behaviour has become a staple in modern interactions—something that seemed less prevalent in the past.
2. Impact of Ghosting: We'll delve into the emotional toll ghosting takes on individuals, discussing the feelings of disrespect and the erosion of trust it fosters in our social fabric.
3. Psychological Reasons for Ghosting: What drives someone to vanish without a word? We'll examine the underlying psychological factors like fear of confrontation, low self-worth, and decision fatigue, and consider how a simple message could mitigate these negative consequences.

Join me as we unravel the complexities of ghosting, understand its effects, and seek ways to foster more respectful and honest communication in our relationships.

Links to referenced articles;

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/understanding-ptsd/202311/the-psychology-behind-ghosting-in-a-romantic-relationship

https://www.psypost.org/new-psychology-research-reveals-a-surprising-fact-about-ghosting/#google_vignette

It's going to happen, we're going to come across rude and/or aggressive people in our lives. It might be a Client, it might be a colleague, a friend or family member.

We might not feel like we can speak our mind, there are things at stake, be it company revenue, your job, a relationship……

It a challenge, no doubt, but there are things we can do, practice tangible things.

Let's find out what they are!!

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all, from the good old Snow White fairytale.

And as we know, the mirror cannot and does not lie!

Mirroring is a great conversational skill to have to both create ease with the other person and to gain feedback from them on your own conversation behaviour.

Have you noticed how naturally a smile will be reflected back at you, or a frown?

But mirroring isn't about creating conflict or being abrasive, it's about empathy & understanding!

Listen in to learn more!

It's easy to escalate things, and easy to let them continue along that escalated path!

Emotions are high, things are heated, everyone is trying to make their point, get their point across….often we're lost in what we want in those moments and we forget about the other person. They don't matter right now, doesn't matter how they feel or what point they're trying to make!

You just want to be heard!!!

And in this episode, we get to the bottom of this exact point & how to use that to de-escalate the situation.

It might not be what you think, but listen in to find out!

It's not you, it's me!! We've all heard this line in a romantic break up scenario, but that is definitely not what we're talking about in this episode!

We're talking about the 'You' and 'I' statements, especially in difficult conversations and more importantly, getting to the underlying why. To understand why we do this, be it subconsciously or otherwise!

For some, the mere idea of small talk can make them cringe and if you're reading between the lines, that's me, 100%.

Sometimes I'm ok with it, but mostly I don't really like it, it's the unknowns about meeting a new person, establishing what you may have in common with them and so on!

In this episode I cover some cool tips I've learned about getting better at small talk and that I seriously need to put into practice more!

It can be as simple as asking better questions …..…. have a listen to see what I mean!

No one likes the feeling they get when they realise that the person they're talking to isn't listening to them. They're there, they might be nodding, and making 'Hm-mm" sounds, but they're not really tuning in to what you're saying.

So, don't be that person!

Listen to this episode & come away with some awareness and hot tips on how to actively listen & improve the conversation for everyone!

We all just want to fit in and be accepted. To feel like we belong.

But at what cost?

Are you compromising yourself for the sake of fitting in?

Are you accepted?

By yourself, first & foremost?

These are some of the thoughts & questions I've been pondering lately & in this episode, I share where I was & where I'm at, as I am.

We're taught all about Please,, Thank you & don't put your elbows on the table or eat with your mouth open, but are we ever consciously taught about conversation etiquette?

Have you ever considered if your conversation etiquette is on par?

Today's episode takes a look at the definition of a conversation and explores a couple of key components of conversation etiquette to take into our daily interactions.

Eeny meeny miny moe……Or Rock/Paper/Scissors

The games we play to work out who's going to go first!!

Are you brave enough to be vulnerable first, so someone else can be as well?

In this episode I explore where & how we lost our childhood ability to agree to be vulnerable with each other and refer to Dr Sue Johnson's example of a vulnerable conversation. She talks about it in her interview on the Tim Ferriss Show podcast which is linked below & it's well worth the listen to explore this topic further.

Dr Sue Johnson (Hold me Tight book) with The Tim Ferriss Show

From approx. min 35

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5VNrTEPwhmZCTOD6LsdPZR?si=033fb188e232427e