“I make it seventeen days come Friday since anybody spoke to me”, muttered Eeyore.

“I was here”, said Rabbit. “But not conversing”, said Eeyore “not first one and then the other, you said hello and flashed past, no exchange of thought. I mean it gets you nowhere”,  Eeyore pondered, “particularly if the other person’s tail is only just in sight for the second part of the conversation.”
(The One Hundred Acre Wood, Chapter 9)

First one and then the other, is Eeyore’s almost perfect definition of having a real conversation… that’s the conversation where we all concentrate, listen, think and respond.

It’s quite sobering to pause and consider, when was the last time we had one of those?

And it’s also sobering to recognise the number of ‘Rabbit’ conversations we’re now enduring… the increasing number of unfinished conversations, where the other person is out of sight before a single response is uttered.

The conversations that begin and end abruptly, as the voice exits the meeting, or speaks whilst walking away, often through a closing door.

Or maybe that’s you?
Maybe it’s justifiable?
After all, aren’t we living in busier and busier times?

This is a dangerous assumption…

Sometimes, we hear from our clients that something in their organisation feels dysfunctional, but what often transpires is a lack of real conversation… not getting the right people in the right room, at the right time, to talk about what matters most.

Lots of meetings, lots of talking, but no real conversation that directly supports better dialogue and decision making.

We believe the art of real conversation is a critical contributor today to creating balance, either in a relationship, a partnership or across an entire organisation.

And whilst some people might be uncomfortable with the proposition of ‘real’, the concept of unreal conversations should worry them more. These can create misunderstanding, disruption and sizeable upset.

And when we seriously look at the current reality of living in today’s world, isn’t it time to listen, to think and respond in better, more respectful ways?

But let’s be clear, having real conversations isn’t always easy. They may not help you resolve all the issues, but they will enable you to respond by clarifying what matters most and focussing on what’s truly important.

A real conversation also requires you to be a keen listener, gaining valuable insight from others and eliciting a relevant reply, idea, or perspective.

Real conversations are at the heart of creating the balance we need to survive, succeed and keep moving forward.

They reflect who you are, what you do and why you do it, bringing to life the values you live by, the strengths you can offer and the purpose that drives you.

They also provoke an honest exploration of the current reality, revealing challenges, opportunities and possible routes forward.

So, as another year is racing to a close, with a fresh one waiting in the wings, maybe a real conversation could be timely and beneficial.


“While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a business, a marriage, or a life, any single conversation can.”

Susan Scott, Fierce Conversations

We commit to supporting real conversations with all our clients, helping them to identify what they want to achieve and adjusting how they do things to create the impact and outcomes they want.

You can read how we’ve recently helped theatre owners, venue operators, technical or production companies or indeed individual producers… and most importantly, read what they said about the experience in our client stories.

Then please call us for a real conversation…