In case you missed it!
My TED Talk is now up on YouTube and the TED website. YAY! You can watch it anytime by clicking on either of the highlighted links above (10 minutes long).
After watching it, please join me for a conversation over Zoom to discuss the ideas further, on Monday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. Central Time US. I’d love to talk with you and hear some of your comments and questions. Register here.
In my TED Talk, I use a couple of anecdotes to highlight just how quickly we judge what we hear, and how distorted our understanding can be if we do not examine our interpretations. The work before us is not to eliminate judgments but befriend them, with gentle curiosity. “What are my judgments, and what are they telling me? How am I interpreting what I hear? What is the context of the other person, and how might it differ from mine?”
If we answer these questions honestly and take the time for self-reflection, we will realize that we don't see the full picture, and that there is more to explore and understand. We may choose to inquire further or not, but simply recognizing that there is more to explore is a key ingredient to effective communication.
Examining our judgments with curiosity helps us to cultivate humility about what we see and understand. It is not the judgment itself that impairs communication, but the certitude that our judgment is correct.
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Copyright © 2021 Sharon V. Kristjanson. All rights reserved.