Ideas worth spreading

The importance of good conversation – and how to have it

98,519 views |

John O'Leary |

TED@State Street London

• November 2014

The night before the Challenger exploded, NASA had a three-hour conference call with a company that knew the shuttle would fail. Why did NASA not abort the mission? John O'Leary explores what makes for an effective conversation. He lists three myths that can lead to destructive silence, and vital techniques to enable good conversation for groups everywhere.

The night before the Challenger exploded, NASA had a three-hour conference call with a company that knew the shuttle would fail. Why did NASA not abort the mission? John O'Leary explores what makes for an effective conversation. He lists three myths that can lead to destructive silence, and vital techniques to enable good conversation for groups everywhere.

About the speaker

John O'Leary

Conversation champion

John O'Leary thinks that we don’t take our conversations in business seriously. Within his role as director of communications of State Street’s business transformation programs, he seeks to remove the barriers that prevent healthy conversation in business. O’Leary is also co-authour of the 2009 best-selling book, “If We Can Put a Man on the Moon” and his writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, among others.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

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