The Conversation Gap

• Author: Daniel Small
• Profession: Is a partner in the Boston and Miami of ces of Holland & Knight LLP
• Pages: 19-21

Dening the Conversation Gap

The Witness: “I’ll just go talk to them!”

The Lawyer: “Question, pause, answer, stop!”

Understanding the Conversation Gap

Regardless of the audience for our communication, we are used to—and

pride ourselves in—a form of communication that is informal and fun:

conversation. Casual, interesting, and free-owing, good conversation is

an integral part of our day, our relationships, and even our self-esteem.

There is a wonderful quotation from a 19th-century French writer,

describing conversation as: “[t]he art of never seeming wearisome, of know-

ing how to invest every trie with interest, to charm no matter what be the

subject, and to fascinate with absolutely nothing.”

1

All of us would love

to be so graceful.

Yet, consider the gap between this and being a witness. Conversation is

casual because the setting is informal, but what if it was all under oath?

Conversation is interesting because we can be open and creative, but what

if every word was being transcribed? Conversation is free-owing because

1. G  M, S ’E (O  F   W (President Publish-

ing Co., 1881).

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Chapter 6

The Conversation Gap

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