Alison is a Lavin Exclusive Speaker and award-winning MBA professor, as well as the author of TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves. In her new class on MasterClass, as well as practical, high-energy keynotes and fireside chats, Alison draws on 15 years of research to show audiences and students how to handle any conversation with confidence. Find just two of her tips below, and watch “The Conversation Advantage” on MasterClass for more!
1. Caught off guard? Don’t try to calm down.
You’re in a high-stakes presentation, and someone you respect asks you a question you don’t have an answer to. What do you do?
“Even if you’re taken aback, it can help to give them a compliment like, ‘That’s a really great question! Let me think about that,'” Alison says. When we feel anxious, our bodies and minds often tell us to calm down, but it’s a lot easier and more effective to take that intense emotion and reframe it as excitement. “Responding in a positive way will help you feel better about it too,” she says. And once you’ve redirected your mind to a positive place, you can ask follow-up questions and come up with a structured response.
2. Use the CALM framework to tackle hard conversations.
We all face tough conversations, like giving difficult feedback to a colleague or raising an issue with a romantic partner. Alison offers her CALM framework for making these conversations smoother:
- Confirm understanding
- Admit uncertainty
- Learn
- Make it human
“Hard conversations unravel because both people walk in with their defenses up, ready to fight for their position and try to win,” Alison says. “Instead, let that go, set it completely to the side, and focus on learning as much as you can about your conversation partner’s perspective.”
Want more from Alison?
Learn more about her here, and find “The Conversation Advantage” on MasterClass here. Then contact us to book her to speak at your event!
