An appreciative listener is always stimulating.
– Agatha Christie

David Brooks, in a New York Times opinion piece, “Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversations” (November 19, 2020), offered insightful ways to meet our need for meaningful connection in a world that often pushes us toward disconnection. Here’s a beautiful example:

“Approach with awe. C.S. Lewis once wrote that if you’d never met a human and suddenly encountered one, you’d be inclined to worship this creature. Every human being is a miracle, and your superior in some way. The people who have great conversations walk into the room [or Zoom] expecting to be delighted by you and make you feel the beam of their affection and respect.”

Exchange Reflections were designed as a tool to help groups of educators or college students be able to have deep conversations that matter. For example, “Appreciative Inquiry for a More Positive Professional Life,” is an Exchange Reflections that encourages people to discuss and practice the appreciative inquiry process. This positive approach to organizational change focuses on exploring what is already working well within a group to build upon those strengths. It mirrors David Brooks’ urging to help people feel “the beam of affection and respect.”