Last night I went to one of the Free Press supper conversation groups. It was fun. A table for six, except someone chickened out, so there were five of us: two from the metro and three who had driven more than an hour.
What glared at me was how bad I still am as a conversation companion.
Flaw one: I interrupt far too readily. Even when the word I offer is the one they were reaching for, it is rude. Patience. I need patience.
Second: not at the start, but toward the end of the evening I found myself making declarative statements. I grew up surrounded by schoolteachers, so an authoritative tone is my default. Questions and inquiry advance a conversation. End statements close it. Patience.
Last: I struggled when a tablemate declared that the buffalo population was decimated and we are all on the hook for their return to the Great Plains of South Dakota. Where do you start with that? Isn’t Theodore Roosevelt National Park already a federal contribution toward that goal? Are there interested parties driving the return of bison that can be supported? What questions would let the structure of renewal be explored and possibly proven out?
I need more practice and more patience. Good thing the Free Press is organizing the chance for further improvement.
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