Conversations and the Human Experience

Selma Wassermann is a Professor Emerita in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, and a recipient of the University Award in Teaching Excellence. Her teaching expertise includes the development of teaching for thinking and interpersonal skills.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionWhat’s the good of it? (It’s not about the cheese)How the book is organizedPart One:The Essential Components of Effective Human InteractionsChapter 1: Listening: “tuning in”Key conditions in active listeningDeveloping active listening skillsChapter 2: RespondingThe overarching condition of respectSelecting appropriate responsesParaphrasingEnd notesOne final wordChapter 3: The art of the questionQuestions that should be avoidedMore productive questionsTurning questions into statements of inquiryThe well-orchestrated discussionConclusionChapter 4: Once more with feelingConclusionChapter 5: Caveats: When the divide is too greatPart TwoChapter 6: Introduction to the skill development materialsChapter 7: Introduction to facilitative interactions: Task 1Studying the conversationsThinking about conversations #1Thinking about conversation #2Thinking about conversation #3Thinking about conversation #4Reflecting on interpersonal facilitative respondingConclusionFigure 1: Analyzing Responses in Human DiscourseChapter 8: Practice in choosing appropriate responses Practice taskSelf-evaluation of your responsesConclusionChapter 9: Practice in attending and responding with respect (encore)TaskSelf-evaluation of your responsesConclusionChapter 10: Creating your own scenarioSelf-evaluation of your conversationConclusionChapter 11: One-on one practice in attending and responding with respect (A)Pre-conditionsTaskConclusionChapter 12: One-on-one practice in attending and responding with respect (B)Points to remember in interpersonal discussionsPre-conditionsTaskConclusionChapter 13: Practice in attending and responding (Encore) ConclusionChapter 14: Using effective interpersonal skills in real situationsChapter 15: Last Words Just one more thingBibliography

I wish that my parents, my teachers, supervisors, and even many of my colleagues had read this book before I entered kindergarten and the work place. I also wish that I had read it and learned its lessons before I became a parent, before I entered high school and university. I would have been a better parent, student, supervisor, and colleague.