Do Conversation

Robert Poynton divides his time between an off-grid house in rural Spain and Oxford, where he is an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College and the Said Business School. At Oxford University his work is practical, not academic the workshops and programs he runs are designed to help leaders have conversations they don't normally have. He has also worked with clients including the BBC, Chanel, Merck, Unilever, and Airbus. In Spain, he hosts experiential events for individuals like Reading Retreats which uses books to spark off conversation, and the Creative Tapas Experience a rapid process of collaborative making which catalyzes a wealth of creative conversations. He is also co-founder of Yellow Learning and On Your Feet, an improv-based consultancy in Portland, OR. He has spoken and led workshops at The Skoll World Forum, The D-School at Stanford University, Singularity University, and The DO Lectures. He is the author of Do Pause (2019) and Do Improvise (2013, 2022).

Wise, inspirational and empowering, Do Conversation is one of the finest things I've read about a foundational human practice. Poynton shows how the best conversations are a dance of attention, generosity and pleasure and what it might mean for us all to weave them more richly through our lives. Dr Tom Chatfield, tech philosopher & author of Wise Animals