Next time you find yourself engaged in a conversation that matters, take a moment. Think of your layers of SELVES. Consider whether you’re just airing your views without considering the overall goal or the sentiments, needs and inputs of those with whom you’re conversing.

Your outside communication likely reveals something of your inside communication. Psychologists say humans tend to make assumptions about others’ values, biases, and points of view, as well as credibility, in every communication interaction. So, from a Generative Communication perspective, it pays to give some attention to your inside communication.

Our culture is permeated with misinformation (known also by a more bovine, less genteel term), much of it intentionally deceptive to prod us to “buy” a belief in something. What does misinformation mean for Generative Communication?

Exploring the essence of our core integrity, acknowledging our vulnerabilities, and examining our unique lifeviews are good ways to prompt the internal conversations that help put us in touch with our authentic selves.

The power of Generative Communication rests on the authenticity of the people who are communicating, and authenticity begins with self-awareness: knowing who we are from the inside out.