Whenever someone comments on a not-so-favorite-topic, the defensive wall starts getting higher in my reaction. “What are you trying to say?" " Why do you want to know?" "Why would that matter?" "How is that relevant to this conversation?” These questions go through my mind. It happened at a hair salon when a lady, a non-US native, asked me if I was born in the US. Immediately, I wanted to divert the conversation. It turns out, all she wanted to do was to talk about herself. Nothing to do with me at all.
How do I focus to really listen with curiosity? How do I know if they honestly want to hear my story? How do I stay authentic when I am uncomfortable? Really, how would I do this? I would need some practice. One setting would be when I bravely say, "why is it important for you to know that?". And the other setting would be when I gracefully say, "I am not comfortable with this topic, but I love to hear your story."
Kommentare