At the same time that most people can’t go through their days without having at least one verbal exchange, it also seems like far too many people are really terrible at it
Who doesn’t want to get three credits just for chatting?
By Eddie Dudley, Contributor
I have come to the realization that at one point or another in everyone’s, life the ability to carry on a conversation is imperative to success. That conversation may open a career door for you or it may be the one that passes on important information to your child. If relationship therapists and the social media posts from unhappy couples are to be believed, the ability to talk, share and listen may be what saves a relationship.
But at the same time that most people can’t go through their days without having at least one verbal exchange, it also seems like far too many people are really terrible at it. So bad in fact, that most of the dating profiles I encounter from girls specifically mention it as a prerequisite for the relationship. If anything, that should be the simplest part of starting a relationship and something that shouldn’t need special seeking.
What is there to do? Well, if the adage “practice makes perfect” is to be believed, the answer is obvious. But somehow it seems that not enough people get the practice one would expect. So, I have come up with a novel solution, one that may be beneficial to all: just as nearly every degree requires you to take an English course, we should add a course on conversation and communication to the docket.
For most students, it won’t be a problem. Frankly, it would be a near-instant GPA booster with most people finishing the course with an A. The chatty people would all laugh their way across the graduation stage. However, for other students, it will be a crucial trial ground to learn how to converse with people and an opportunity to practice the skills that make other people feel heard and understood. People will be able to work on their awkwardness and the fear that people are judging them as they speak; they’d get a chance to work out the kinks of sharing their views with others and they could get a smooth three credits in the process. It’s a win-win!
If nothing else the world would be a much better place if we all were a little bit better at conversations. It would help with the hard ones and the easy ones. It would help with the daunting ones and the inconsequential ones. Hell, I’ll even go out on a limb and say it might even save a marriage. Some might say that is quite presumptuous but there are enough marriage counsellors out there trying to facilitate conversations that it just might be right. Still, I think it’s worth a try. If nothing else, it might make someone’s wallpaper useless degree a little more applicable.
