Better Relationships: Who Are You Talking To?

Duration: 10-20 minutes

How useful would it be during any communication in your personal or professional life to KNOW who you were really talking to? We know it’s a big claim, but if you play with the Better Relationships Part 2 exercise, we think you can learn to spot the perspective of the person you are engaging with and learn to communicate more skillfully with the people around you.

This past summer we brought you the first in our Better Relationships series entitled “Discovering Your Native Perspective” In it we offered you exercises for figuring out which of the four perspectives was your first move in the world. If you haven’t figured out your native perspective yet, we suggest that you try Part 1 of this series first, before you engage with Part 2.

The name of this second discovery exercise is “Who Are You Talking To?” It is the next step in understanding the importance of being aware of your native perspective to your communication skills. The technique for translating the native perspectives of others was developed by Joanne Hunt and Laura Divine of Integral Coaching Canada, and was adapted for this exercise by Huy Lam and Robb Smith. It is based on the premise that there are four primary ways of relating to the world—inner experience, action, systems, and relationships—and everyone has one that they go to first. This exercise will teach you to correctly translate the perspective of the person you are interacting with and more skillfully communicate with them.

What you learn may surprise you!

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Step 1: Your Native Perspective and the Baby Crying in the Night

Step 2: Exercise Modules - Choose a Single Perspective to Proceed

Step 3: The Next Link