Date: Wednesday,
September 19, 2012
Risk:
Allow the person I just met on the
bus to fill most/all silences in our conversation.
Purpose
of Risk: I find myself rushing to
fill silences in conversation, usually out of fear that I may appear boring and
also because I have genuine curiousity about other people. I want to practice receiving
and allowing other people to fill conversation.
Execution:
As I was talking to the person I had
just met on the bus, I felt extremely uncomfortable when there was silence. I had a huge
urge to fill the space by asking a question or telling a story, but I stopped
myself and allowed him to speak first. Whenever there was a silence that I was
not filling, I looked away and fidgeted! I think the next step would be to be able
to look very calmly at the person or away without feeling unease.
Analysis:
I was surprised at how uneasy allowing
for space in a conversation made me feel! Actually, when I sing in public I
generally have the same problem – constant fidgeting and looking away, or
laughing. I guess that it makes me uneasy when I feel that all eyes are on me. Maybe
I feel uneasy when I perceive that I am expected to be entertaining?
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