Make 2026 the year of better conversations

You know the old line about how everyone complains about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it? The same thing seems to be true of conversation. We’re all annoyed at the general lack of civility and the decline of interpersonal interactions, and yet how many of us are making a conscious effort to do better ourselves?

It might be the pernicious influence of social media, which encourages a one-way focus on our photos and our opinions without any obligation to listen to others.

Maybe it has something to do with not knowing our neighbours as well as in the past, or not participating in community activities as much, or simply spending more time at home in front of a screen than talking to other people.

Or maybe we just don’t have any role models who showed us how pleasant it can be to have a friendly chat with a cashier or at the community mailbox, and how important it is to listen to other people rather than just talk about ourselves.

So here’s our good-natured challenge for 2026: Let’s all commit to being better conversation partners, starting right now.

Let’s pay attention to how much we’re talking, and whether we’re allowing others a chance to contribute to the conversation. Easy fix: Ask some meaningful questions, and don’t jump in right away with an answer.

Let’s stop talking at each other and start really hearing what the other person has to say. It’s not a conversation if one person doesn’t acknowledge what they’ve just heard or keeps saying “I’ve been there too!”

Let’s allow space for different opinions. We don’t have to listen to racism or misogyny or homophobia or anti-science rants, but we also don’t have to immediately dismiss someone who doesn’t share our precise outlook on things.

Just imagine how much more enjoyable relationships of all kinds would be if we talked less and listened — truly listened — more. If we showed genuine interest in another person and reduced the times we weighed in.

And while we’re imagining, let’s go all out and think about how much kinder and more connected our community and our country would be if we all tried just a bit harder to create civil conversations. We can only imagine the transformation at Queen’s Park or on Parliament Hill.

It may be humbling when we start paying attention to our own bad habits. The good news is that unlike the weather, this is something where we have all the power to create change, and a better new year into the bargain.