Seeing Interactions in your everyday life
Seeing interactions isn’t easy.
We are trained to find explanations and to look for what is going on inside of people instead of looking at what is going on between people. And we are used to observing what one person does instead of looking at what (both) conversation partners do together.
So, let’s try to focus on interactions today:
Observe conversations around you and see what is happening between people: Only look at what is observable – physically or vocally – that was aimed at the other person, and that the other person would notice. How does the other person react? How does it go on?
If you would like to describe what happened: Check your description and make sure that all elements could have been seen (observed) and were directed at the other person,
e.g.
“While Person A talked slowly, person B smiled at Person A, Person A stopped and asked a question”
instead of
“Person A was thinking and didn’t know how to go on, Person B was irritated and smiled, then Person A was wondering, stopped and asked a question.”
(words in italic are not observable!)
This is an adaption of the Challenge of the Week in the SIMPLY FOCUS Podcast #10, developed by Jennifer Gerwing, given to us by Janet Bavelas.