One of the most interesting points made in the discussion with Dr. Rayo was that we are better at talking to the people with whom we are close, not just because we feel most comfortable talking to them, but also because we are better at predicting what they are thinking and how they will respond/perceive your words. In this framework, does that mean that great orators may not be as good as conversations because their style of speaking is more impersonal? How does one train to be good at personal conversations and is it possible to have a standard metric for that?
Interesting to think about conversation success as predictive success. I think it’s really about empathy—putting yourself in the head of those you’re talking with, including what they’ll want to be talking about seconds in to the future.