--- title: The Formula For Better Conversations description: Better conversations start with genuine interest, curiosity, and empathy. Learn how these three qualities improve listening, questions, and connection. image: https://more.butlerstreet.com/hubfs/blog%20images/Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg --- [![butler-logo](https://more.butlerstreet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/butler-logo.webp?width=600&height=161&name=butler-logo.webp "butler-logo")](https://www.butlerstreet.com) Login/Sign up [OUR BLOG](https://www.butlerstreet.com/blog-1) - [Home](https://www.butlerstreet.com/) - Solutions - [Sales Training Programs](https://www.butlerstreet.com/sales-training-programs) - [Leadership Development](https://www.butlerstreet.com/leadership-development) - [Recruiter Training](https://www.butlerstreet.com/recruiter-training) - [Key Account Management](https://www.butlerstreet.com/key-account-management) - [Virtual Training](https://www.butlerstreet.com/virtual-training) - [AI Coaches](https://www.butlerstreet.com/ai-coaches) - Products - [eLearning](https://www.butlerstreetonline.com) - [NPS ®](https://www.butlerstreet.com/net-promoter-score) - [Voice of the Customer](https://www.butlerstreet.com/voice-of-the-customer-survey) - [ClientFit®](https://www.butlerstreet.com/kam-clientfit) - Resources - [Blog](https://www.butlerstreet.com/blog-1) - [Events & News](https://www.butlerstreet.com/events) - [Book - Become the Only Choice](https://www.butlerstreet.com/become-the-only-choice) - [Videos](https://www.butlerstreet.com/videos) - [Members Only](https://www.butlerstreet.com/site-members) - About - [Leadership](https://www.butlerstreet.com/leadership) - [Clients & Testimonials](https://www.butlerstreet.com/testimonials) - [Staffing Industry Solutions](https://www.butlerstreet.com/staffing-industry-solutions) - [Print Industry Solutions](https://www.butlerstreet.com/print-industry-solutions) - [Contact](https://more.butlerstreet.com/contact-us) [Contact Form](https://www.butlerstreet.com/contact) --- 4 min read [Execution & Performance](https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/tag/execution-performance), [Recruiting & Staffing](https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/tag/recruiting-staffing) --- # The Formula For Better Conversations ![communication](https://more.butlerstreet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog%20images/Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg?width=900&name=Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg) SHARE - - - [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/the-formula-for-better-conversations&body=Check%20out%20https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/the-formula-for-better-conversations&media=https://22459909.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22459909/blog%20images/Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/the-formula-for-better-conversations&body=Check%20out%20https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/the-formula-for-better-conversations&media=https://22459909.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22459909/blog%20images/Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg) - - ### Some of you want to get better at handling objections. Some of you want to ask better questions. Some of you want to run better meetings with your customers. Some of you want that candidate to take your job, and some of you want your team to believe in the process and follow you to success! Well, these things are not easy. If they were, there wouldn't be a need for training companies, eLearning offerings, seminars, gurus, or heck, even this blog. I don't have all the answers, but I think three things can help a lot.  **Genuine interest** When you have it, you connect with others. When you're missing it, you struggle to connect. **Curiosity** When you have it, you dig deeper. When you lack it, you play at the surface level. **Empathy** When you have it, you feel with others. When you lack it, you feel, well…what you feel. For some of you, these things come naturally. For others, they don't. Everyone needs to work at these three, but for those of you who don't feel they come naturally, you've got some work to do. Here's the good news: You can work at it. When these three things are missing, it's pretty easy to see, and it's ugly. Let's start with interrupting. ### **1. Interrupting** Now, this is one of my biggest pet peeves and one of the most damaging things you can do when you're trying to connect with others. So why do we interrupt? Sometimes, you're just waiting to talk because the sound of your own voice is more important than what the other person is saying. You interrupt because you're not actually aware of the natural flow of conversation. To feel that natural flow, you have to be focused on the other person. But you're not focused on the other person. You're focused on the swirling ideas rolling around in that head of yours. You want to talk…real bad. For some, it might be because you're uber competitive, and for you, winning means speaking. For others, there's a lack of focus. Paying attention to others actually takes effort. You have to make a conscious decision to turn off the part of your brain that wants to think of the next thing to say. You have to trust that your reply will be inspired by what the other person is actually saying. And this is where our three qualities come into play. When you're genuinely interested in someone, you actually want to hear what they have to say. When you're curious, you're more interested in what you might learn than what you're about to say. And when you have empathy, you recognize that the other person deserves to be heard, just as much as you do. When you have genuine interest, empathy, and curiosity, you tend to interrupt less because the other person is more important to you. And guess what? They can feel that.   ### **2. Allowing Others to Paint the Picture** This is an analogy I use quite often when training people. I run a lot of role practice sessions where participants practice overcoming objections, asking better questions, and just having more natural conversations. And here's a pitfall I see quite often. Let me give you an example. "Can you share some of the challenges you're currently experiencing, like turnover, productivity issues, or struggles with team morale?" The issue with this question is that I've actually painted the picture for the other person. By mentioning turnover, productivity, or morale issues, I've planted those seeds and influenced how the other person might respond. So why do we do this? To put it simply, we often use too many words when just a few will do. I like to think in terms of "economy of words," or saying what you need to say in as few words as possible. Oftentimes, less is more. So, if we revisit that example, how should we have framed the question? Easy. Just take the first half of it and then stop talking. *"Can you share some of the challenges you're currently experiencing?"* That's it. Now, think about how genuine interest, curiosity, and empathy play a role here. If you're genuinely interested, you want to hear *their* challenges, not the ones you've already decided they probably have. If you're curious, you don't need to steer the conversation toward familiar territory because you're interested in discovering something you don't already know. And empathy? Empathy plays a part here because you know what it's like to have problems, and you know how cathartic it can feel when you can just let it all out. Giving the other person the opportunity to do that is a strong move. But remember, your job is not to immediately look to solve that problem. For now, just listen and explore. The next step should help with that.   ### **3. Take the Unknown Path** We know our jobs like the back of our hand. We've heard what other people say a billion times, and to be honest, we've gotten lazy. We jump to the response we hear most often; we assume we know what that person means, or we just accept what others say with no desire to dig deeper. If you're described as being transactional, it's probably because you ask the easy questions that come with the easy answers. There's nothing interesting or dynamic about your line of questioning, and that's because you're shying away from the questions that require more effort, thought, and thinking on your feet. If you ask a deeper, probing question, you're committing to exploring what the other person said at a deeper level. And that may take you to a place that's less familiar to you. Good! That's where the magic happens. This is where genuine interest and curiosity really come into play. You're thinking, "Hmmm…why did they just say that? Why is that important to them? What did they mean by that?" But that's where we typically stop. Great connectors don't stop there. They dig deeper and ask probing questions. They're willing to explore the unfamiliar rather than retreat to the comfortable. Genuine interest drives you to want to understand more. Curiosity gives you the desire to ask that next question, even when you're not sure where it's going to take you. And empathy helps you appreciate that there may be more behind what someone is saying than what you're hearing on the surface. Without these three qualities, it's easy to fall back on the same old questions and the same old responses. You're just going through the motions. But when you genuinely care about what someone is saying, you're curious about what you don't know, and you're willing to see things from their perspective, the conversation becomes something entirely different. You're taking that first step down the unknown path. > Genuine interest + curiosity + empathy = better conversations Simple, right? Well, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy. Formula requires effort, intention, and a willingness to get out of your own head and focus on somebody else. The good news? You don't have to be naturally great at any of them. You just must be willing to work at them. And when you do, you'll be amazed at how much better your conversations become. Butler Street helps teams build and practice those capabilities, so they show up consistently in the conversations that matter most. If stronger communication could improve performance across your team, [let’s connect.](https://more.butlerstreet.com/contact-us) ## Related Articles ###### SOLUTIONS ###### [Staffing Industry Solutions](https://www.butlerstreet.com/staffing-industry-solutions) ###### [Sales Training Solutions](https://www.butlerstreet.com/sales-training-programs) ###### [Recruiter Training](https://www.butlerstreet.com/recruiter-training) ###### [Leadership Development](https://www.butlerstreet.com/leadership-development) ###### [Key Account Management](https://www.butlerstreet.com/key-account-management) ###### PRODUCTS ###### [ELEARNING](https://www.butlerstreetonline.com) ###### [ClientFit®](https://www.butlerstreet.com/kam-clientfit) ###### [NPS®](https://www.butlerstreet.com/net-promoter-score) ###### [Voice of the Customer®](https://www.butlerstreet.com/voice-of-the-customer-survey) ###### [Speaking Engagements](https://www.butlerstreet.com/speaking-engagements) ###### RESOURCES ###### [Resource Center](https://www.butlerstreet.com/resources) ###### [Videos](https://www.butlerstreet.com/videos) ###### [Blog](https://www.butlerstreet.com/blog-1) ###### ABOUT ###### [Our Team](https://www.butlerstreet.com/leadership) ###### [Clients & Testimonials](https://www.butlerstreet.com/testimonials)   © 2026 Butler Street Holdings, LLC All Rights Reserved. [Atlanta, GA, United States | info@butlerstreetl.com](mailto:info@butlerstreetllc.com) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Robert Reid, Principal", "url" : "https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/author/robert-reid-principal" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-16T18:39:07.195Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-16T18:38:57.000Z", "headline" : "The Formula For Better Conversations", "image" : [ "https://more.butlerstreet.com/hubfs/blog%20images/Ribbons%20of%20Connection%20and%20Conversation.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://more.butlerstreet.com/blog/the-formula-for-better-conversations", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://more.butlerstreet.com/hubfs/Butlerstreetlogo%20(1).png" }, "name" : "Butler Street" } } ```