Reflect on the conversations you've had this week
- Vicky Crane
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Leader Reflection:
Leadership development is aided by reflection.
Below are a set of reflective questions that focus on ‘conversations’. Improving the quality of your conversations with your team and with people beyond your team can substantially increase your impact and make a positive difference to workplace culture.
Take the time to reflect deeply on your recent interactions—both planned and spontaneous—and identify opportunities to improve connection, trust, and impact.
1. Frequency & Quality
Reflect on your overall volume and quality of conversations this week. Consider rating each on a scale from 0 to 10:
Frequency: How often are you engaging with colleagues?
Quality: How meaningful, impactful, or authentic are those conversations?
Then ask:
Do these ratings differ between team members?
What about with people outside your team?
What is this telling you? What insights can you gain?
2. Analysing the conversations
Which conversation energised or motivated people?
Which conversation focused on emotional connection?
Which conversations were honest and open?
Which conversations focused on celebration and specific positive feedback?
Which conversations resulted in new ideas or creativity?
Which conversations produced better shared understanding?
Which conversations helped improve ways of working?
Which conversations left you better informed?
Which conversations produced unexpected or surprising outcomes?
Are there any patterns? How are the patterns of your conversations helping or hindering you?
3. Types of interaction percentages and effectiveness
· Planned vs. unplanned interactions?
· Task-based vs. whole-person conversations?
· Depth vs. surface-level engagement?
What is the goal of your conversation? Does it take into account short term and long term needs of the relationship?
4. Listening
How well do you:
Listening with intent. Giving your full and undivided attention to the other person.
Listen with a genuine desire for them to feel heard and seen.
Listening with a focus on achieving understanding.
Eliminate distractions?
Giving people time to think and respond. Are you able to sit with silence?
Listen without jumping to advice.
Listen with a purpose (e.g., for understanding, for ideas, for feedback)? A listening ‘overlay’ can help to really tune in to what is needed from the conversation.
Listening with your whole body. Your body language matches intent, e.g. not starting an indepth conversation whilst edging towards the door, or half listening whilst you finish an email.
5. Empathy & Care
Are you trying to understand (which does not necessarily mean agreement)?
Do people feel seen, heard, and valued?
Do you get from the conversations insights into their strengths?
Do you feel better informed about how to meet their needs?
Ask yourself:
“How do I want this person to feel after our conversation?”
How do you structure your reflection activities? When do you reflect? Is the quality of your reflection helping you to be a better leader? Do your reflective conversations lead you to think differently?
I hope you found this reflection activity useful, and if you would find it even more useful to shift this to a coaching conversation, get in touch for options.
Best wishes, Vicky.
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