Thanks to the Internet and social media, we’re more connected to each other than ever. At least, we like to think we are. The fact of the matter is quite different.
Just a few years ago, only ten percent of Americans said they were lonely. According to recent research, that number has nearly doubled. The very technology we thought would draw us closer together is making us feel more isolated instead.
Our need for human connection is wired into our DNA. It’s so important to our well-being that we create artificial expressions of it – things like texting, social media, video conferencing, and AI. As wonderful as those tools can be, they only simulate human relationship; they can’t replace it. Human-to-human interaction fills our souls in ways that something artificial never will.
Dr. Heather Holleman is an associate teaching professor of advanced writing at Penn State, a speaker, and an author. She has studied the art of conversation and relationships and says communication is a beautiful gift of God – almost miraculous. The mechanics of how our mouths move and make sound is itself amazing, but the ability to express thought through common language in order to be known and to know others is more remarkable than we realize.
Dr. Heather Holleman is joining me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly to share how God’s gift of communication enables us to engage in meaningful conversation and to connect with others, even when we disagree.
She outlines six steps to effective conversation:
- Listening.
- Finding common ground and connecting over core values.
- Summarizing your conversation partner’s viewpoint.
- Showing how your position benefits them.
- Rooting your conversation in love.
- Using your personality and talent to uplift.
In Colossians 4:6, Paul writes, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” People who enjoy deep, meaningful relationships are healthier and happier than those without a thriving social life. The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.
Join me for my full conversation with Dr. Heather Holleman on your local radio station, online, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or listen on our free phone app.
Dr. Holleman’s book The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility is available for a gift of any amount. Click here for more information or give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
