What is conscious communications?
At its core, conscious communications is built on the shift from reactive, habitual speech to intentional, presence-based interaction. Whether applied to personal relationships, internal business teams, or external media relations, the goal is to ensure messages land with credibility, empathy, and authenticity.
The following values and guidelines define this approach:
Transparency and Honesty: Being open about what is known and what is not known. This builds dependability and reinforces trust.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Understanding the "second-level impact" of words—how they affect the thoughts and feelings of others.
Integrity: Communicating in a way that aligns with personal or organizational values, ensuring that the "how" of the message matches the "what."
Empathy and Inclusion: Creating a "dyadic state of consciousness" where both parties feel safe, present, and reflected back to one another as their "true selves" to provide the greatest mutual value.
Intentional Listening: Understanding that communication is a two-way space. In spaces where harm is present, often greater healing must first be done before productivity can be accomplished.
1. Intentionality Awareness Before speaking or writing, evaluate your motive. Conscious communication requires moving away from "fishing" for approval or manipulating a situation toward clear, direct verbalization of needs. Conscious communication asks:
"Am I seeking a dialogue or a monologue?"
"Am I trying to get others to do what I want, or am I being honest?"
2. Active and Generous Listening Listening under conscious communications is viewed as an "open-handed gift" that requires becoming "empty" of one's own agenda. This includes practicing two proactive internal communications while listening:
Attunement. Pay attention to both the other person and your own inner reactions without judgment.
Neutrality. Use respectful, neutral language that is not emotionally charged to keep the recipient receptive.
3. Relevance and Resonance Messages must be tailored specifically to the recipient’s context, values, and personal experiences.
Audience-Centricity. Understand the characteristics of the target audience to ensure the message is "worth it" for them to engage with.
Credibility. Secure trust by ensuring technical accuracy and aligning messages with other trusted experts or organizations.
4. Creating Safe-Authentic Spaces Dialogue should ideally be by "appointment," with clear agreements on time and length to ensure both parties are fully available.
State of Affect. Both parties should remain mindful, open, and "in the body" to prevent defensiveness or flooding of emotions.
Mutual Regulation. The interaction should serve as a "secure base," where energy increases and communication expands because both feel safe and heard.
This framework is increasingly important in modern workplaces particularly for hybrid and remote teams where video and people-centric interactions bridge the distance and are used to maintain authentic human connection.
I explore this topic more in-depth on Substack, join me. If you are interested in learning more about how this approach can benefit your next launch or training session, reach out.
