Have We Lost Meaningful “Deep” Conversations?

In times of political division, the simple yet profound act of engaging in meaningful conversations with those with different views becomes valuable and essential for societal healing. These conversations serve multiple crucial functions in maintaining the fabric of our democracy and communities.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable decline in the frequency and depth of meaningful, in-person conversations on both personal and organizational levels. Some attribute this trend to the isolation enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, while others point to the acrimonious political polarization in the 2024 US election. These factors have made deep, meaningful discussions, especially with strangers, less familiar and less valued.

Conversations often become aggressive, shouting matches or worse, with little or no attempt to go beyond a surface discussion.

The Decline of Meaningful In-Person Conversations

In my 30+ years of training and coaching leaders, I’ve observed that an often overlooked aspect of effective leadership is the ability to engage in meaningful conversations. By this, I don’t mean the typical task-focused or superficial exchanges between a leader and a subordinate but rather deep conversations that explore the mental and emotional states of…