How To Become A Supercommunicator
1A
NPR
4.3 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2024
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You notice the person beside you isn't talking, they're just watching. They turn to you and make a joke and you immediately relax. You hadn't even realized how tense you were.
They then ask what you think about the news. When you respond, they're attentive. When they look at you, you feel seen. They ask you another question and another. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and the arguing has died down around you.
Your dinner party partner is what journalist Charles Duhigg calls a supercommunicator. In his new book, "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection," by the same name, he explores what makes conversations work and how we can all be better at them.
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Transcript
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| 0:17.0 | Imagine you're at a dinner party and the conversation turns to the latest news. |
| 0:28.0 | Everyone has a different opinion. People begin raising their voices and you notice the person beside you isn't talking. |
| 0:35.0 | They're just watching. |
| 0:37.0 | They turn to you and make a joke. |
| 0:40.0 | And you immediately relax, you hadn't even realized how tense you were. Then they ask you about the last |
| 0:46.0 | movie you saw or maybe an album you bought. And eventually they ask you what you think about |
| 0:51.8 | the news. |
| 0:53.3 | And when you respond, they're attentive. |
| 0:56.4 | When they look at you, you feel seen. |
| 0:58.8 | They ask you another question and another. |
| 1:01.0 | And before you know it, an hour has passed, and the arguing has died down around you. |
| 1:05.1 | Your dinner party partner is what journalist Charles DuHick calls a super |
| 1:10.1 | communicator. They're all around us and there's a good chance you know exactly |
| 1:14.8 | who's a supercommunicator in your life. |
| 1:17.0 | Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm calling about your request for stories about super |
| 1:22.0 | communicators. about your |
| 1:25.0 | request for stories about super communicators. My mom is someone who I've always thought of that way. She's able to talk to just about anyone, about anything at all, and put them at ease. |
| 1:32.0 | It may be because she's worked most of her life in retail and customer service, but she's really fun to bring to a social event and to introduce to my friends because she's great at making people smile. |
| 1:44.6 | She makes them feel very comfortable, so I think that's such a gift of her. |
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