There is a quote that goes something like this: the quality of your conversations is the quality of your life. Few of us wake up in the morning with a clear sense of who we might end up having a conversation with. At least not the agenda free variety. Sure you might be leading a meeting, or gearing up for “that conversation” you wish you didn’t have to have, but beyond that we rarely set out to have rich and meaningful conversations about anything. This, I think, is a real shame and a missed opportunity to add value to our own lives and the lives of others. Statistics tell us that parents spend on average no more than 10 minutes per week-in conversation with their children. And in the work force conversation is being reduced e-mails, text messages and tweets. An unhurried conversations leads to unpredictable discoveries; it facilitates social bonding, and puts people in touch with their own and other peoples’ values, assumptions, ideas and strategies. The fact is we all know when we have had a good conversation because we leave bigger and better for having had it. Perhaps it’s time to take inventory of the quality of your conversations. Are you providing openings for dialogue? Are you giving people your attention? Are you using conversation strategically to boost creativity and innovation? Are you deepening your relationships through sharing and listening?