When I wrote the book “Hi Conversation Changes Lives” I looked back at the decade or more of work of the power of engaging people in thoughtful conversations. Since then readers of all ages have written to tell me, or stopped me on the street, and said “this has changed my life.”
The first tool or process I developed was asking this one question: What’s Gone Well Today of strangers and colleagues.
It acts like a revolutionary filter, and people love the impact it has on their own lives and of those they happen to engage with. It gives people a lift in their day, and a new question to ask others, and furnishes them with an uplifting response when they asked it of themselves. It helps lessen social isolation within families and with strangers.
Recently a friend has moved into a seniors retirement complex and felt a bit at a loss.A retired physician, he described it as serious heart condition. With all the change he had been going through, I suggested we try working on an experiment together that would help lift his spirit.
Each day he’d ask himself, “What’s Gone Well” and email me one of those moments. He asked me to just send one reminder. I mentioned that I’d take those moments and share them on my blog on ConversationWorks.ca
So now he has a caring audience who looks for his posts, his moments that stood out, that lifted his spirit. He has a life-transforming initiative or focus. We sometimes get together and talk about those moments. We find it’s a life-giving, enriching experience. We have more meaningful conversations ourselves. The process will change the culture of a community as well if enough of the residents take part.
Psychology backs this up. Here is 1 minute video talking about the benefits of focusing on the positive points of our day.
ConversationWorks.ca hosts our blog with thousands of moments that have gone well in our subscribers’ lives. You’re welcome to post using just your first or middle names.
We welcome your joining in by responding to the question several times a week and posting on our blog. You can share the blog address with friends and family and they can easily follow the moments you’ve loved along the way
Christopher Bowers
CS Interviews Society
Executive Director
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