Good conversation

A good conversation gives us the freedom to articulate our thoughts and feelings. There is space for each person to tell his or her story. The direction is shaped by what each person contributes, without any predetermined agenda. People inspire one another.

Conversely, it is possible for people to just take turns in voicing their pre-formed opinions without paying attention to one another. When this happens, we are not conversing, rather just exchanging a series of monologues. It’s the listening part that most of us have difficulty with. As we get carried away with our own ideas and emotions, we easily fail to really attend to one another. Only sustained attention and suspended judgment together allows us to hear what the other person is saying from where they are standing.

Our aim is that Nexus participants gain new perspectives that synthesize their thoughts and feelings with everyone engaged, leading to further questions and fresh insights for everybody. There is space for different points of view. Our conversations prioritize attention to feelings, impact and imagination over reason and knowledge. We’re not looking for experts or gurus. Nexus content follows the unrestricted flow of unfolding story-telling rather than being abstracted, issue driven, and coercive.

French philosopher Simone Weil said, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” We agree. In today’s world, attention is so rare and pure a gift, that its impact is clearly felt. Good conversations are life-giving, not because of any particular technique, but because of the ways we attend to one another’s voices with care.