Comments on: How to Have Better Dinner Conversations

By: avonia photography

avonia photography — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Totally agree! I find myself following these rules at weddings also, where I know no one but like to get to know the guests. http://avoniaphotography.com/

By: Discoveries: 3.22.11 | The Homeward Way

Discoveries: 3.22.11 | The Homeward Way — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:52:05 +0000

[...] How to Have Better Dinner Conversations [...]

By: John Gallagher

John Gallagher — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:21:52 +0000

I simply love this post…Don't know what else to say… Would love to particpate in one of these conversations… I even want to use questions similar to this with my kids.

By: Food for Thought — Parent Book Summaries

Food for Thought — Parent Book Summaries — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:57:29 +0000

[...] your family struggles at conversation around the table, you can find some helpful suggestions in this blog post on [...]

By: Tweets that mention How to Have Better Dinner Conversations -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention How to Have Better Dinner Conversations -- Topsy.com — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 06:27:52 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lana_Vaughan, Kenneth Huie. Kenneth Huie said: Wow, very Interesting article! Thanks for sharing @MichaelHyatt ! http://lnkd.in/SbptAD [...]

By: Paul Cahill

Paul Cahill — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:56:06 +0000

Fantastic post. I thoroughly enjoy good dinner conversation and I am going to put some of this into practice, especially the one conversation rule.

By: Todd Burkhalter

Todd Burkhalter — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:39:52 +0000

Stumbled upon this older post. Great topic that caught my interest since I was just at a dinner last night that had excellent conversation. I was thinking about the people I was with, and thought about one of my favorite questions when meeting someone in this setting. What keeps you busy when your not working? To learn about their hobbies and passions away from the office.

By: 8 Tips voor betere gesprekken — Geloof in je werk

8 Tips voor betere gesprekken — Geloof in je werk — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:26:57 +0000

[...] de CEO van Thomas Nelson Publishers, de grootste christelijke uitgever in de VS, vertelt op zijn website over de goede gesprekken die hij aan tafel altijd [...]

By: Belinda's Notes on Lifestyle Homeschool » Blog Archive » My Internet Reading lately (7/5/10)

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:46:04 +0000

[...] to the table incase I need to direct things. My daughter , Jessica, sent me this link this week: how to have better dinner conversations. I think there are some great tips in there regardless of how old our children [...]

By: Patty

Patty — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:00:33 +0000

Great Post Mike, Like you said it is important to be a good listener. I hate when someone walks over someone else when they are speaking. I especially hate it when I catch myself doing it.

You guys had dinner with Luci Swindol? How awesome was that?

God Bless

By: How To Have Better Dinner Conversations « Clive Smit

How To Have Better Dinner Conversations « Clive Smit — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:41:05 +0000

[...] emotion do you feel when you describe that? To get the other 4 tips click HERE. Do you have any other great tips? Please leave a comment and share it with [...]

By: @mattstephens268

@mattstephens268 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:59:16 +0000

OK. So it seems like these are applicable largely to group conversations. With the second one, my mind immediately went to the first topic that usually comes up at our dinner table: work. For us, dinner is debrief time. Few topics are as boring as accounting (no offense all you accountants!), so I usually try to interject a different topic before dinner is through.

On tip #3, those are great questions! But as I read through them, I couldn't help but wonder, how would I answer these? And I wasn't sure how forthcoming an answer would be, because honestly, they aren't the type of question I'm used to thinking about. I think some people are just better at talking about themselves than others.

Thanks for sharing!

By: Making Meaningful Conversation « mgpcpastor’s blog

Making Meaningful Conversation « mgpcpastor’s blog — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:59:57 +0000

[...] Harris refers to a post by Michael Hyatt about ‘Having Better Dinner Conversations’. In the post Hyatt expands on these points. 1. Consciously seek out conducive environments. 2. Have [...]

By: How To Talk With Adults | Mark Kakkuri

How To Talk With Adults | Mark Kakkuri — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:19:51 +0000

[...] HT: Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, How to Have Better Dinner Conversations [...]

By: Know Thyself - Self Awareness as the Key to Enlightened Leadership

Know Thyself - Self Awareness as the Key to Enlightened Leadership — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:07:53 +0000

[...] the Fate of the AMCRethinking the 7 habits of highly effective people & Stephen Covey …How to Have Better Dinner ConversationsThe state of President Obama's key failures | Toledo NewspaperSen. Snowe Flat Out Rejects [...]

By: Well Read?????? « Ron Lane

Well Read?????? « Ron Lane — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:21:29 +0000

[...] 02/11/2010 Ron Lane Leave a comment Go to comments I recently read a blog that talked about how to have better dinner conversation, by Michael Hyatt that got me to thinking about ways to improve my conversation with others. Last [...]

By: College Tips to Fit in Fast - What People Notice First About You

College Tips to Fit in Fast - What People Notice First About You — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:44:37 +0000

[...] [...]

By: Ary

Ary — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:14:07 +0000

I think communication is a skill that builds relationships and like all other skills it must be learned, I would not consider that manipulative. True you could get some mileage without any structure or 'rules' but I am learning that especially with relationships, if you get so much more when you are intentional about it.

By: Ary

Ary — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:15:08 +0000

I just wanted to say thank you so for your blog and thanks to your wife Gail for her twits. I am learning so much about writing and about life from you both. I feel like I know you and you are such wonderful people showing the love of Christ through your words, actions and life. Thanks to you both. God bless you.

By: Melissa Knauer

Melissa Knauer — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:39:56 +0000

Maurilio, I completely agree. When I entertain, I think of the needs/wants of each of my guests. I plan around them. I want them to leave my home feeling refreshed and comforted. Thank you for your post. Melissa Knauer P.s., I've just sent you an e-mail today and I hope it went through all right! :)

By: Melissa Knauer

Melissa Knauer — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:18:20 +0000

I like this. I try to do open ended questions with my children as well. They are still young enough that they WANT to talk at the dinner table, a lot! I enjoy this so much and hope we can continue this tradition in years to come. By the way, my name is Melissa Knauer and I'm new here. I'm trying to meet people who share the same experiences as myself. I'm searching for an agent at the moment and am excited at the prospects. Is there anyone out there who shares any similarities with me? Thanks so much for your post Kevin. I will try this out on my children soon.

By: Maxine McClellan

Maxine McClellan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:05:38 +0000

You are quite right in that there is an art of conversation here. It is common for total strangers to strike up conversation while standing in lines – of which there is many (at banks, post office, supermarkets etc.).

What is culturally different between Americans and Brazilians is often the conversation topics – they can be quite personal and often about topics Americans find “taboo” to talk about outside of a close circle of friends. For example, I am regularly asked about my age, marital status and children – do I intend to have any. Later comes questions about my profession. “Taboo” topics such as religion and politics are regularly discussed with just about anyone and can get very heated.

Again, I thank you for this post. I’ve now used it several times during training sessions. Lots of Brazilians are getting to know Michael and Gail.

By: Best Blogs I Read This Week: 2/6/10 « Ideas on Life Change & Leadership

Best Blogs I Read This Week: 2/6/10 « Ideas on Life Change & Leadership — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:39:11 +0000

[...] By Michael Hyatt: “How to Have Better Dinner Conversations” [...]

By: Thinks Links « Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

Thinks Links « Learn, Unlearn, Relearn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:26:25 +0000

[...] How to have better dinner conversations – Prepping for conference season [...]

By: L. Alexander

L. Alexander — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:10:06 +0000

Love your blog!! I'm new to it but could spend a lot to time here. Thanks for investing in this site and putting your thoughts down for us to read!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:58:38 +0000

Well, let's recap what has happened so far. I posted a mildly critical response to your piece, which advocated using manipulative techniques in what should have been a private, friendly atmosphere. You replied by using one of the techniques on me, which, whether it was intended as a joke or to prove that the techniques work, didn't address my criticism. When I fleshed out my comments a bit more, you made a flippant crack and still didn't respond to my comments. And now you wonder why this hasn't been meaningful? Really?

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:30:35 +0000

So what would this conversation look like to you if it were meaningful? I’m serious.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:51:21 +0000

No THAT is a great question!

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:42:25 +0000

Since you would have little to gain from dining with me, I suspect that I'm not invited. Since beginning this dialog, I've explored more of your site to try to understand where you are coming from. I see you have carved out a niche as a leadership guru within the christian community. I guess leaders have to be leading all the time, including dinnertime. Now that I know who you are, I see that this conversation isn't going to lead to anything meaningful.

By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:24:27 +0000

Aloha – I just discovered this plugin — After the Deadline. Now for me to sit down, write, and use it. (smile).

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:15:48 +0000

So does this mean you’re not coming over for dinner on Saturday?

By: Keith Ferrin

Keith Ferrin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:39:55 +0000

Whenever I sit down to coffee with people (but this could apply to dinner), I frequently start by simply saying, "Tell me a story." There's usually a pause, then the question "About what?" My response is always "Whatever you want. Life. Work. Something funny. Something meaningful. Whatever." This simple request has lead to some of the most fantastic conversations - and learning moments for me! My recent post the ripple effect of our choices

By: Jeremy Lucarelli

Jeremy Lucarelli — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:16:19 +0000

This post will be extremely helpful to the community group leaders within our church. Our community seeks to follow Jesus by seeing lives transformed for Him. Dinner conversations are paramount for infecting our neighborhoods, work places, and businesses with the gospel. Though people may not come to church, they’ll most likely respond to a dinner invitation. Thanks for giving us this tool!

By: Most Tweeted Articles by Leadership Development Experts

Most Tweeted Articles by Leadership Development Experts — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:29:45 +0000

[...] « Dorothy Dalton 2 Likes What’s Your Agenda? 2 Likes How to Have Better Dinner Conversations Over the years, my wife, Gail, and I have developed a set of conversational rules that we use at [...]

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:57:32 +0000

We used that question with our children, too. However, we only used the first one, because we wanted them to focus on the positive. It's fun to watch our kids now use it with their kids!

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:35:49 +0000

Well, you're doing it to me right now, and it's kind of annoying. You tweeted that great dinner conversations don't just happen, but I disagree. I've enjoyed many stimulating conversations over the years without resorting to communications strategies. What's wrong with allowing conversation to evolve organically? All it requires is interesting people and a desire to discuss ideas rather than people or things. Some of your suggestions amount to surreptitiously orchestrating what should be a spontaneous thing. Do you think your dinner guests would approve if they knew you were using a strategy to draw forth comments or steer the flow of conversation in what should be a safe and relaxed environment?

By: JerodMSF

JerodMSF — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:27:21 +0000

Thanks! Your kind words are much appreciated. One of our other writers on H2B actually introduced me to your blog and I am quite glad she did. Always something useful and interesting here on a day-to-day basis. My recent post 8 Ways to Have Better Blog Conversations

By: Lana Vaughan

Lana Vaughan — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:57:37 +0000

You and Gail are welcome at our table any time you find yourself in San Jose, CA.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:24:16 +0000

Ross Campbell talks about this in his book, How to Really Love Your Child. As it turns out, the parenting principles he outlines work in almost all relationships.

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:21:50 +0000

If you enter your Web site name (including the http://) in the new comment form, it should pull your latest post automatically. What blogging platform are you using?

By: @ReachingWomen

@ReachingWomen — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:17:46 +0000

I love your blogs and read them daily. I may be showing my ignorance, but could someone please tell me how I can get "My Recent Post" to show up as a live link? I tried to post a comment yesterday with my own blog post at the end like others are doing, but failed to have the hyperlink work. Thanks for anyone who can help me with this! Blessings…

By: patriciazell

patriciazell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:32:10 +0000

Thanks! Ohio is in the process of firming up requirements for high school graduation by requiring a senior project which would involve a presentation. While the 80/20 rule would be moot in that venue, good communication skills would be necessary. My school is in the planning stages now--I'll try to make sure we include instruction of effective communication. My recent post #28 BECOMING A SON OF GOD: THE NEW BIRTH

By: patriciazell

patriciazell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:32:10 +0000

By: kkcoolj

kkcoolj — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:15:44 +0000

This one sounds silly, but is brings serious results:

PAY ATTENTION and MAKE EYE CONTACT with the person with whom you are you making conversation.

In our blackberry-world today, our presence no longer seems to be in the present. We are either texting while driving . . . or emailing while "watching the kids" . . . or talking on the phone while walking, driving, elevating (you know what I mean), and eating with other people.

As simple as it is, if you maintain some eye contact through your conversations and actually give 100% of your attention to the person across from you, the content and engagement seems to just go through the roof sometimes.
My recent post Sign of the Times

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:52:18 +0000

Yep. I totally get that. You will defintely be able to have adult conversations again. The best part is that they will eventually be with your adult children!

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:51:09 +0000

I would teach them the principles, create a practice session, and then coach them on the fundamentals. Perhaps you could even video them and then watch the video with them. My golf teacher does this, and it is a HUGE help to actually see my swing.

For example, if you followed the 80/20 rule suggested by one of the commentors above, you could actually time how much they listen and how much they talk.

I think this could be very fun and hugely helpful.

By: patriciazell

patriciazell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:36:09 +0000

Can you explain what you envision the drills to be? As a high school English teacher, I am well aware of the lacks my students have when it comes to basic communication skills. A number of them don't even treat teachers with any kind of respect--they are really rude and obnoxious. Today, I actually had a junior tell me that he didn't need to learn any more English because he's American and he already knows the language. I am looking for some way to help my students understand the necessity of good reading, writing, and speaking skills. They just don't get it! My recent post #28 BECOMING A SON OF GOD: THE NEW BIRTH

By: Gary Walter

Gary Walter — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:21:32 +0000

Nice, practical, and helpful - especially for those of us standing on the shoulders of our blue-collar parents, and weren't necessarily exposed to the likes of "polite" society too much. Now, with young kids at the table, which we'll have for a few more years, politeness is relative and they provide built-in conversation as all the parents dote after their mutual kids! However, I assume that someday I'll be able to have adult conversation again! :p

My recent post Five Years Ago

By: Gary Walter

Gary Walter — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:21:32 +0000

By: Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:06:12 +0000

It's probably like most things—playing the piano, learning to ride a bike, etc. At first it feels contrived and forced. But eventually, if you stay with it, it becomes natural and even second-nature. I think you have to be willing to be forgiving of yourself and others when you are just learning a new skill.