In 2015, journalist Celeste Headlee gave a TEDx Talk on how to have better conversations.
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Use a tip from a TED Talk that's been watched over 7 million times to make it easier to talk to anyone
Radio host Celeste Headlee says the key to exciting conversations is assuming the other person has a fascinating secret to share.
She spends the bulk of the talk on 10 core tips — but to me, the most compelling lesson comes at the very end. That's when Headlee — who is currently the host of talk show "On Second Thought" — draws a connection between her childhood experiences and her conversational prowess today.
The story is best in Headlee's words, so here it is:
Headlee's grandfather, by the way, was William Grant Still, and he was the first black conductor to conduct a professional symphony orchestra in the United States.
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Headlee urges the audience to display the same sense of childlike curiosity in their daily conversations.
If you assume your conversation partner is boring, you're all but guaranteed to have a superficial interaction. Instead consider yourself an interpersonal archaeologist, if you will, whose job is to uncover the one thing that makes the other person fascinating.
Even if you don't find it right away, the excavation process will probably make your conversations a lot more exciting.
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