Making Conversation

A former Senior Partner and Global Managing Director at the legendary design firm IDEO shows how to design conversations and meetings that are creative and impactful.  

Conversations are one of the most fundamental means of communicating we have as humans. At their best, conversations are unconstrained, authentic and open—two or more people sharing thoughts and ideas in a way that bridges our individual experiences, achieves a common goal. At their worst, they foster misunderstanding, frustration and obscure our real intentions.

How often do you walk away from a conversation feeling really heard? That it moved the people in it forward in some important way? You’re not alone. In his practice as a designer, Fred Dust began to approach conversations differently. After years of trying to broker communication between colleagues and clients, he came to believe there had to a way to design the art of conversation itself with intention and purpose, but still artful and playful. Making Conversation codifies what he learned and outlines the seven elements essential to successful exchanges: Commitment, Creative Listening, Clarity, Context, Constraints, Change, and Create. Taken together, these seven elements form a set of resources anyone can use to be more deliberate and purposeful in making conversations work.

Transform your personal and professional interactions with this design-based approach to communication:
Impactful Meetings: Move beyond frustrating meetings with proven techniques from IDEO to foster creativity and ensure every voice is heard.Creative Listening: Discover how listening can be an active, creative, and generative act that builds connection and uncovers new possibilities.Leadership Skills: Master the art of constructive dialogue to align teams, navigate conflict, and drive meaningful change in any organization.Design Thinking Principles: Apply a designer’s toolkit to the art of conversation with the Seven Cs framework—a step-by-step guide to making any exchange more purposeful.