Conversation
Conversation

Author: Stephen Miller

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2008-10-01

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 030013018X

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Essayist Stephen Miller pursues a lifelong interest in conversation by taking an historical and philosophical view of the subject. He chronicles the art of conversation in Western civilization from its beginnings in ancient Greece to its apex in eighteenth-century Britain to its current endangered state in America. As Harry G. Frankfurt brought wide attention to the art of bullshit in his recent bestselling On Bullshit, so Miller now brings the art of conversation into the light, revealing why good conversation matters and why it is in decline. Miller explores the conversation about conversation among such great writers as Cicero, Montaigne, Swift, Defoe, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and Virginia Woolf. He focuses on the world of British coffeehouses and clubs in “The Age of Conversation” and examines how this era ended. Turning his attention to the United States, the author traces a prolonged decline in the theory and practice of conversation from Benjamin Franklin through Hemingway to Dick Cheney. He cites our technology (iPods, cell phones, and video games) and our insistence on unguarded forthrightness as well as our fear of being judgmental as powerful forces that are likely to diminish the art of conversation.

The Creative Conversation
The Creative Conversation

Author: Bridget Benton

Publisher: Eyes Aflame Publishing (Part of Eyes Aflame LLC)

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 9780984456802

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Approaching creativity as a form of spiritual practice, artist Benton breaks the creative process down into its most basic components and offers a fresh perspective on developing one's creative skills.

The Art of Conversation
The Art of Conversation

Author: Peter Burke

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9780745611105

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The Art of Conversation is a major contribution to the social history of language – a relatively new field which has become the focus of lively interdisciplinary debate in recent years. Drawing on the work of sociolinguists and others, Burke uses their concept while reserving the right to qualify their theories where the historical record makes this seem appropriate. Like the sociolinguists, Burke in concerned with the way language varies according to who is communicating to whom, on what occasion, in what medium and on what topic. Unlike many sociolinguists, Burke adds a historical dimension, treating language as an inseparable part of social history. This approach is outlined and justified in the first chapter and then exemplified in the remaining four, which deal with the early modern period. Among the topics discussed are the changing role of Latin, which is shown to be very much alive in the age of its alleged decline; language and identity in Italy, a politically divided region at the time but one where educated elites had a common language; the art of conversation, in other words the advice on speaking in polite company offered in hundreds of treaties of the period; and silence, viewed as an act of communication with a significance which changes over time and varies according to the setting and the persons who are silent. The Art of Conversation will be of great interest to students and scholars in social and cultural history, linguistics, the sociology of language and the ethnography of communication.

The Art of Conversation Through Serious Illness
The Art of Conversation Through Serious Illness

Author: Richard McQuellon

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-04-29

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 0199752869

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Every day, thousands of people receive a diagnosis of serious, life-threatening illness, and their families and friends suddenly become caregivers. Despite the best of intentions it is not always easy to communicate well under these circumstances, or find deep empathy for something one has never before experienced. When is it best to speak, and when to be silent? How can someone provide real comfort, and how can relationships with loved ones facing serious illness be enhanced in this most difficult time? This book is about how to be an encouraging caregiver and friend under the most difficult circumstances, when the possibility of death is all too real The authors believe that open dialogue must not be avoided until the last minute when opportunities will be limited, but that caregivers and loved ones can embrace this time, mortal time, honestly as a way to sensitively and compassionately engage with those for whom a central fact of life is realized--that all of our lives are time-limited. In The Art of Conversation Through Serious Illness, the authors consider how to best listen to and speak with one facing life-threatening illness, with lessons on being a primary conversation partner, becoming properly empathic and receiving empathy, maintaining everyday conversation, using platitudes appropriately, understanding healthy denial, and talking about dying. Offering bedside guidance usually only available to professionals and peppered with insightful anecdotes from the authors' own experiences, this gentle, succinct book is appropriate for anyone going through this uniquely difficult yet universal life experience.

The Art of Conversation
The Art of Conversation

Author: Judy Apps

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-06-03

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 0857085387

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Good conversation is at the heart of networking, meetings, interviews, negotiations and raising your profile. It can ease your way in work, enabling you to build alliances, create strong relationships with staff, bosses and clients, succeed at interviews, motivate and inspire. But conversation is something most of us were never taught! We learn to speak as babies, but how conversation actually works is something most of us pick up only haphazardly, and many have yet to learn. Why is it some of us are stuck for words, but others blabber or can’t stop? What is it that some people have naturally which enables them to converse comfortably and easily, to engage people and build better relationships? The Art of Conversation will show you step by step how to converse skillfully and enjoyably with other people, at home, at work, on the phone and in the street- even if you’re daunted now, discover the difference good conversation can make in every aspect of your life. Learn to: -Overcome the most common block to good conversation- fear; find out how to break the silence and keep the conversation going - Understand the different types of conversation and how they work- which topics and language are suitable for the occasion - Learn simple methods for being heard and understood, including speaking clearly and audibly, listening well and using non-verbal communication - Find out how to hold a conversation in tricky situations, including how to disagree, how to speak to those in authority and people you find difficult -Use conversation to form relationships, improve friendships, make the sale, chat people up, to learn, influence and persuade.

Why Art?
Why Art?

Author: Eleanor Davis

Publisher: Fantagraphics Books

Published: 2018-02-14

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1683960823

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This is a treatise on what makes art art, told in graphic novel form. What is “Art”? It’s widely accepted that art serves an important function in society. But the concept falls under such an absurdly large umbrella and can manifest in so many different ways. Art can be self indulgent, goofy, serious, altruistic, evil, or expressive, or any number of other things. But how can it truly make lasting, positive change? In Why Art?, acclaimed graphic novelist Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy) unpacks some of these concepts in ways both critical and positive, in an attempt to illuminate the highest possible potential an artwork might hope to achieve. A work of art unto itself, Davis leavens her exploration with a sense of humor and a thirst for challenging preconceptions of art worth of Magritte, instantly drawing the reader in as a willing accomplice in her quest.

The Art of Winning Conversation
The Art of Winning Conversation

Author: Morey Stettner

Publisher: M J F Books

Published: 1999-08

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9781567313116

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The ability to communicate. To capture interest. To persuade. With it you'll open doors, advance your career, create rewarding relationships, gain respect, and prosper in every area of your life. Without it, you're doomed to frustration and disappointment. Now you can gain command of the winning communication skills that will bring you success and prosperity.

Because Art
Because Art

Author: John R. Killacky

Publisher: Onion River Press

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9781949066852

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Essays, speeches, and conversations by artist, arts administrator, and Vermont state legislator, John R. Killacky. Highlights include: Cultural, social, and political commentary on leadership, disability, equines, Buddhism, AIDS, arts producing, philanthropy, and legislating. Critical analysis of such artists as Ron Athey, John Cage, Douglas Crimp, Keith Haring, Peter Hujar, Dona Ann McAdams, Kevin McKenzie, Eiko Otake, and Sarah Schulman. Interviews with such art luminaries as Alison Bechdel, Trisha Brown, Janis Ian, Bill T. Jones, Tony Kushner, and Meredith Monk.

Speaking of Art
Speaking of Art

Author: William Furlong

Publisher: Phaidon

Published: 2010-03-31

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13:

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Begun in 1973, Audio Arts is a one-of-a-kind venture: an audio magazine of new interviews with the world's most important contemporary artists. Distributed in cassette format until 2002 and on CD from 2003-07, the interviews in Audio Arts have never before been published. Speaking of Art collects the 50 best interviews from the Audio Arts archive. These range from towering figures in art history (Joseph Beuys, Frank Stella, John Cage) to the current stars of the contemporary scene (Wolfgang Tillmans, Thomas Demand, Mike Nelson). At a future date all 350 interview transcripts from the Audio Arts archive will be unveiled on the Phaidon web site, creating an unparalleled online resource that will be a trove for artists, students, researchers and art fans everywhere.