Is the Definition of Conversation Obsolete?

There was a time, when conversation was much, much more than an exchange of ideas.

Today, we think of conversation as the give and take, the talk and listen, the sharing of point/counterpoint in some form of communication. There was a time, when that was only a part of it. Maybe, we need to revisit some of the old school defs.

In current definitions of the word conversation, some dictionaries point to "obsolete" meanings. (click on image to see Dictionary.com definition)

Conversation used to mean all manner of behavior or intimate and familiar acquaintance. The Webster's 1828 dictionary even offers a past-tense, conversationed, as "acquainted with the manner of acting in life."

I'm not so sure these definitions are past tense. Watch someone waiting for a train or bus and see what kind of conversation they have with their world. Is it a joyous conversation, or a sad one. Argumentative, or cooperative. Or kids waiting in the grocery store checkout with a parent. What is their conversation like? Not just their talk, but their walk. Their behavior.

Watch them and you will see the conversation – the intercourse -  they are having with the world.

I believe that conversation – as currently defined – is still the interchanging of ideas and points. But the old-school definitions of behavior and familiarity of discourse still rings true as well.

Follow Mike Sansone on Twitter or Facebook or on Google+

Find Your Social Media ROI

I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.