We’ve all been in that situation where we’ve asked a question only to have it answered with one or two words and followed by a looooog pause. Most likely it’s because we had asked a CLOSED conversation starter (who, when, how, what) that only requires a ONE or TWO word response. However, when we ask an OPEN question using THREE Little Words:
“Tell ME About…”
we open the gateway to an actual conversation. I think we can all agree that the best and most comfortable conversations consist of multiple words being exchanged.
Here’s how we put Conversation Starters into Practice
Ask a question with “Tell ME About…”
Listen to the answer and let your curiosity lead the way
Find other questions that you have or aspects of the answer that you don’t know to deepen the conversation and learn more from the other person.
Family Dinner Table Talk Questions / Conversation Starters:
Start with a closed question “how was your day”
Then change the question to a “Tell Me About…” quesiton that you can ask to deepen the conversation.
Printables:
Looking for an easy way to have your teens feel productive during the day? Here’s our Ten-a-Day sheet that teens can fill out. This chart includes five blank spots that your teen can fill in and five family responsibility “nudges” pre-written in to help give teens ownership and independence during these days that seem to run together… oy vey!
One of the most important pre professional skills I teach at the Junior High and High School level is the art of Informational Interviewing. Informational Interviewing, quite simply, is the social habit of asking questions of others to learn about THEM. Since we currently find ourselves with A LOT of time on our hands, there is no time like the present to connect friends and family intentionally to learn about them and sharpen our social skills.
Here’s how we put Curious Conversations into Practice!
Identify Friends, Family Member in your Home and a Family Member Outside of Your Home to Connect With
Decide How You’d Like to Connect with Them, Phone or FaceTime (Obviously, Not The Family Memeber in Your Home… You Can Just Talk to Him / Her Face-to-FAce)
Think of a Curious Question You Have About Him / Her to Ask to Learn More About Them
Reach Out
Family Dinner Table Talk Questions / Conversation Starters:
Have Each Family Member Think of ONE Curious Conversation Question to Ask another Family Member. Enjoy Learning Something NEW About Each Family Member.
Printables:
Looking for an easy way to have your teens feel productive during the day? Here’s our Ten-a-Day sheet that teens can fill out. This chart includes five blank spots that your teen can fill in and five family responsibility “nudges” pre-written in to help give teens ownership and independence during these days that seem to run together… oy vey!
While it might seem TOTALLY extra to write down your current daily experience, PLEASE, PLEASE, just hear me out. Your current daily experience is something your children and grandchildren will ask about. And when it comes to passing down your story, of the Great Pandemic of 2020, how will you share it? Writing down your daily experience will not only help you in passing on the story of your life, but it will also help as you look back (6 months to a year +) on what you’ve been through. It’s when we write down how we’ve overcome difficult experiences, that we are able to remember and apply those situations to future encounters that require resiliency. Your future will thank you for recording today!
Here’s how we put “Journaling” Writing it Down into Practice:
Using a journal or Notebook to record the happenings of today
Make sure to include the date.
Include what you’ve done… even as boring as it might seem
Also share the feelings you felt… sad, bored or even happy.
Family Dinner Table Talk Questions / Conversation Starters:
Share one moment from Shelter in Place that you’ll remember
Share one thing you’ve learned about yourself from Shelter in Place
Share one thing you’d like to see changed in teh world from Shelter in Place?
What would you tell your kids / grandchildren about this experience?
How do you plan to record the memory so you don’t forget?
Printables:
Looking for an easy way to have your teens feel productive during the day? Here’s our Ten-a-Day sheet that teens can fill out. This chart includes five blank spots that your teen can fill in and five family responsibility “nudges” pre-written in to help give teens ownership and independence during these days that seem to run together… oy vey!
Today’s Power Skill is our Final C of Leadership: CHARACTER
CHARACTER is an important Power Skill for connecting with others. Not only does it help us with our decision making, but it helps other people to know what they can expect from us.
Rather than shooting a video about it, I thought I would share one of my favorite explanations of the important Power Skill… this is a great video for the whole family, so pop some popcorn and get ready to all be inspired. Below you will find our Day Six Power Worksheet to help you explore the skill in your life:
Explore how you use this skill at HOME, WORK, SCHOOL and OUT IN THE COMMUNITY
Set a goal for how you can use this skill when we able to emerge from our HOMES. Because we WILL EMERGE from our HOMES!
Family Dinner Table Talk Questions / Conversation Starters:
How do you define GROWTH mindset?
How do you define FIXED mindset?
What type of mindset do you think you have? Why?
Why is taking a moment to think important to your CHARACTER?
Printables:
Looking for an easy way to have your teens feel productive during the day? Here’s our Ten-a-Day sheet that teens can fill out. This chart includes five blank spots that your teen can fill in and five family responsibility “nudges” pre-written in to help give teens ownership and independence during these days that seem to run together… oy vey!
Identify THREE people in your life that you’d like to learn from
Reach out to them and ask to schedule a FaceTime or Phone conversation to learn about a story or two in his or her life when he / she was COURAGEOUS!
Show up to the call ready to listen and learn!
Think about what you learned in each call and journal about it.
Family Dinner Table Talk Questions / Conversation Starters:
Why is COURAGE an important Skill to Exercise Regularly?
When were you COURAGEOUS?
What did it FEEL like before your act of COURAGE?
What did it FEEL like AFTER your act of COURAGE?
Printables:
Looking for an easy way to have your teens feel productive during the day? Here’s our Ten-a-Day sheet that teens can fill out. This chart includes five blank spots that your teen can fill in and five family responsibility “nudges” pre-written in to help give teens ownership and independence during these days that seem to run together… oy vey!
