ABSTRACT
Conversational rituals differentiate humans from other species and enable us to develop and handle complexity, ambiguity, and change. Conversational rituals allow us to build common languages, definitions, and meanings that in turn create community. Conversational rituals can be I-centric, like persuading someone until she gives in or intimidating someone before a negotiation so he gives up more than he’d planned. Conversational rituals can also be WE-centric—like shaking hands to greet someone before a difficult conversation or making up after an argument. All of these conversational rituals define how we engage with others, and they make up our culture, “how we do things around.” Transformational conversations are marked by “Share and Discover” interaction dynamics. The transformational process enables both people to better match and align a shared picture of “reality” using Conversational Intelligence practices to get there.
