David Gouthro loves a good conversation. With that in mind, he started the Dialogue Group in Vancouver seven years ago.

The group began with Gouthro and two or three
professional peers gathering in his cramped office after work to talk. Conversations ranged from politics, to music, to their children – just about anything that came to mind.

Today, through word of mouth, about 280 people are on the group’s distribution list. Each gathering attracts between 15 and 30 people and the venue has shifted to the comfort of a local restaurant.

David Gouthro, president of The Consulting Edge.

“It turned out that people really craved the opportunity to have a good conversation,” says Gouthro, president of The Consulting Edge, a Vancouver-based management development and consulting firm.

“It seems no one has time at home, and there’s a problem in business today that time to reflect is looked at as wasted time. You aren’t supposed to be talking, to be thinking, not supposed to be doing stuff. Just working.”

Yet it’s a fact that some of the best exchanges of
information take place at the water cooler, in restrooms or in lineups.

Too often, to the detriment of organizations, business meetings are tightly scripted or there’s a concern about
speaking up.

“In North America, I find there’s this constant fear, or atmosphere of judgment that really gets in the way of conversation and expressing ideas.”

Earlier this month Gouthro spoke to the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Human Resources Planners about “Why Conversations Matter.”

In addition to his business, he works with the UBC Centre for Management Development, is a member of the Core Leadership Faculty at the Banff Centre for Management and teaches a program on creativity at The Justice Institute of B.C.’s Centre for Conflict Resolution.

So why does conversation matter?

“It’s really a great way to connect with people, to create trust. And it’s something we don’t do enough of,” he says.

The benefits of “penalty-free” conversations, where people can talk without fear of being judged or even losing their jobs, are numerous.

Gouthro says people often crave deeper exploration of topics of interest; have a deep-rooted human desire to connect with a person, rather than simply with a topic or job title; and that often conversations are the starting point for major personal, organizational, social or
political change.

In the workplace – although he acknowledges it’s not a good financial example today – he points to Nortel Network’s efforts when the company was building offices in Brampton, Ont.

The company had looked at where useful information was exchanged and found that it took place in casual
conversations, people passing in the hallways or meeting at the photocopier.

“They intentionally built wider hallways so people could meet,” explains Gouthro. “They had lots of seats along the hallway so there was a place to talk, so discomfort wasn’t the thing that limited the conversation.”

There is a time and place for good conversations and Gouthro offers tips and advice on how to be successful.
Once the environment is created, people should just wade in, he says.

With the Vancouver Dialogue Group, there is no agenda. It’s not about networking, sharing leads or making 10 contacts in an evening.

The group ranges in age from 20 to 65. Group
members sometimes bring along out-of-town business partners or their spouses. There may be eight different conversations going on at one time.

Good conversation flows from curiosity and playfulness, says Gouthro. People have to be willing to listen, willing to give and willing to learn.

“You can’t come in with a set position,” he says. “That’s a debate, not a conversation.”

At the Vancouver restaurant, there are individual tabs so there is no hassle trying to sort out money at the end of the evening.

No one knows who will show up, just that they’ll have a good time and come away better informed.

It’s a good release at the end of the day, says Gouthro.

And to think it started with just a few people having a conversation.