The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility

This cheerful manual by Holleman (Chosen for Christ), a rhetoric professor at Penn State, provides Christian-inflected advice for having more meaningful conversations. She offers tips and strategies for having more pleasant social exchanges using the “six dimensions of being human”: social, emotional, physical, cognitive, volitional, and spiritual. The author contends that each dimension can serve as a prompt to generate thoughtful questions; for example, “Do you have any upcoming plans with friends?” addresses the social dimension, and “What are you learning lately?” the cognitive. Holleman shares personal anecdotes that illustrate her “Three Fresh Goals for Conversations”—“encouragement,” “progress,” and “marveling”—and recounts chatting with her mentor about their shared awe over God’s hand in crafting birdsong and the beauty of the natural world. Identifying conversational pitfalls, the author warns against “advice-giving” because it can come across as if one thinks one knows “what’s best for people,” as well as against flattery, which can lead one to say things one doesn’t mean to please others. Readers will appreciate the easily digestible enumerated lists and bounty of sample questions, even if some come across as a bit strange (e.g., “What’s the best sound effect you can make?”). It adds up to an accessible “conversation tool kit” for creating deeper connections. (Oct.)