We spent most of our waking hours talking - some of us even talk in our sleep - but the sad fact is that we hardly ever talk about anything significant. Even worse, the few conversations that do engage us often end up leaving us alienated and hurt. The reason for this? We're so accustomed to conversation as competition that a serious talk usually escalates into argument. THE TAO OF CONVERSATION shows you how to talk about what matters in ways that encourage new ideas, deepens intimacy, and builds effective and creative relationships - in the workplace, in the home, in an informal social setting. Engaging examples throughout the book make the skills it teaches vivid and accessible.