Flow: better conversation in a complex world

Mark Kingwell is one of the most prominent voices in Canada calling for the openness of civil conversation. He shows how our discourse has been changing and why key gains, like justice, need a fresh consideration. And...

Mystery writer Sophie Hannah turns to untangle the mystery of self-talk behind grudge creation in her acclaimed book How to Hold a Grudge (2018). Sophie and I return to grudges to lay out how at least some of us can be...

Hairstylists deal with a lot when they are talking with us. Having clients from all walks of life, they manage wide-ranging relationships, through our highs and lows, all the while channelling their artistry to create...

Kazu Haga explores conflict and how we can talk it out… so we can change the world. Kazu dreams big. And so do I. We delve into why these conversations are so hard, and how shifts in attitude and approach - with a...

If spoken language is the essence of conversation, linguist Julie Sedivy reveals how we grapple with it to make sense of the world, each other and ourselves. From babies to chatbots, Julie unspools its singular...

How can two populations talk to each other across the divide of language? Montreal writer David Homel talks about his experience translating Quebecois French literature and if he thinks translation may help the "two...

Today is my first episode in French! So let me first just say “Bienvenue, chers auditeurs francophones”, and to my English listeners, I invite you to read through the translated transcript that you can find a at...

Sheila Liming, author of Hanging Out, looks at the invaluable if ordinary activity of taking time to chill with folks. We tend to think of hanging out as unstructured and often impromptu shared time, like I drop by your...

Political journalist and writer Stephen Maher examines how Canadian political leaders are influencing the national conversation, just as things seem to be heating up in Parliament with the NDP dissolving the Liberal-NDP...

Anna Goldfarb, author of Modern Friendship, is here to help us face a world of thinning connection and rising loneliness head on. Anna gets fired up about how creating closer friendships is in our hands but needs a...

Charlie Morin, transmasc writer and artist, is bringing out the laughs in transmasculine life with comedy sketch. I think the silly and the strength in laughing at our own trials helps make life better and our mishaps...

Mockery, conspiracy theories and scapegoating are just too much fun. This is the Charles Blattberg encore where the political philosopher and I go deeper into the threats for meaningful, political, `patriotic`...

Charles Blattberg, political philosopher at Université de Montréal, explains why conversation should be our first choice in resolving conflict, followed by negotiation then pleading, all of which differ in practice and...

Kim Samuel, author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, helps us explore how our conversation, as well as the structures and systems we live in, create connection. Beyond the multifaceted ways...

Bob Ramsay, known to be "one of the most connected men in Toronto" explores how he has gotten to know, learn, and help people over coffee. His relationships, his own work in his speaking series, and travel experiences...