Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 314 – August 2026
Recently, someone made a comment in an email that they didn’t like the use of the word we. It wasn’t aimed at my writing, but it caught my attention because I’d heard the same criticism before. The concern was that we can imply a togetherness that doesn’t really exist.
The comment prompted me to think, more clearly than I had before, why I use we. It isn’t simply a writing habit. I use it deliberately and, I hope, carefully. Most of what I write is not about what I think or what you should do. It is about the questions we face together, the conversations we can have, and what becomes possible when we think together, even if we disagree. In that sense, we is less a pronoun than a philosophy.
The comment prompted me to update My Writing Philosophy page and begin drafting a longer piece on what I’m calling The Philosophy of We. It also reminded me that thoughtful observations, even when they aren’t directed at us, can be a gift. They don’t always change our minds, but they can help us understand more clearly why we believe what we do.
Contents
- The Surprising Power of Conversations to Change People’s Minds
Including our own - The Speech Eisenhower Never Had to Give
Taking responsibility - An Unexpected Discovery
How an unread book led me to a remarkable story of dialogue across deep divides - Quote of the Month
August 2026 - Reading Worth Your Time
Curated links, August 2026 - Keep My Work Alive Sustaining 25 Years of shared learning and conversation
- Coaching Bringing Conversational Leadership into your daily practice
- Events Talks, Knowledge Cafés and Workshops
- Unsubscribe Unsubscribe to the Knowledge-Letter
- Gurteen Knowledge Letter A monthly reflection on Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management
The Surprising Power of Conversations to Change People’s Minds
Including our own
I came across this article The Surprising Power of Conversations to Change People’s Minds—Including Our Own
recently and thought it was worth sharing.
It challenges a belief that many of us hold: that talking to people we disagree with is unlikely to change anyone's mind. The research suggests otherwise. Even a short conversation can broaden our perspective and reduce polarization, often more than we expect.
That doesn't mean we all end up agreeing. But we do come away with a better understanding of why someone else sees things differently, and sometimes our own thinking shifts a little too.
This resonates strongly with my own work on Conversational Leadership. I've long argued that the real value of conversation isn't winning arguments or persuading people. It's helping us think together, make better sense of complex issues, and perhaps see possibilities we hadn't seen before.
Perhaps there's hope yet for our increasingly polarized society, if only we were more willing to have these conversations.
Read the paper: Unnecessarily Divided:
Civil Conversations Reduce Attitude Polarization More Than People Expect
The Speech Eisenhower Never Had to Give
Taking responsibility
On the evening of 5 June 1944, just hours before the D-Day landings in Normandy, General Dwight D. Eisenhower made one of the most important decisions of the Second World War. More than 150,000 Allied troops were about to cross the English Channel. Success was far from certain.
Knowing the invasion could fail, Eisenhower drafted a short statement to be released only if the operation ended in disaster. It was never delivered because the invasion succeeded.
The note read:
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."
Notice what he did not say. He did not blame the weather, faulty intelligence, his generals, or the troops. Before he knew the outcome, he had already accepted responsibility for the decision.
This is what responsibility looks like. It is not about guaranteeing success. It is about owning the choices we make and accepting the consequences, whatever they may be.
Read more: The Speech Eisenhower Never Gave on the Normandy Invasion
Hat Tip: Gapingvoid
An Unexpected Discovery
How an unread book led me to a remarkable story of dialogue across deep divides
Many of us have bought a book on impulse, left it on the coffee table or beside the bed with every intention of reading it, then, during a grand tidy-up, placed it on the bookshelf where it is forgotten and disappears from view. Sometimes it stays there for years before being rediscovered.
This happened recently to me while searching my bookshelves for books about conversation and better conversations. I came across a pristine copy of Let's Talk: How to Have Better Conversations by Nihal Arthanayake
and realised I had never actually read it.
Flicking through the pages, one chapter immediately caught my attention. It tells the story of filmmaker Deeyah Khan, who set out to meet and talk with American neo-Nazis. She approached these encounters with understandable apprehension, unsure how she would be received or where the conversations might lead. What surprised both her and me was that, despite their profound differences, genuine conversations became possible and, in some cases, real human connections emerged.
I have written about the story in a separate post, Meeting the Enemy, as part of the Conversational Stories chapter in this blook. There you can also watch Deeyah Khan's documentary and see some of these extraordinary conversations for yourself.
Quote of the Month
August 2026
I have long been fascinated by quotations. A good quote can capture a powerful idea in just a few words. It can inspire, challenge our assumptions, or help us see the world from a different perspective.
Each month, I feature a quotation that I have found particularly thought-provoking. If you enjoy it, you might also like my Quote of the Day service, which delivers a carefully selected quotation by email at a frequency you choose. You can browse the collection and subscribe here:
No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
Credit: John Keating played by Robin Williams, in Dead Poets Society.
Comment:
The line is spoken by John Keating, the English teacher played by Robin Williams, in Dead Poets Society.
Keating says this early in the film while encouraging his students to think for themselves and to appreciate the power of literature, poetry, and independent thought. It encapsulates one of the film’s central themes: that language and ideas have the power to shape how we see the world and, ultimately, how we act within it.
Reading Worth Your Time
Curated links, August 2026
Each month, I share three articles that made me stop, think, and sometimes rethink my own assumptions. I hope they stimulate your thinking as much as they did mine.
Hannah Arendt on Lying in Politics
Drawing on Hannah Arendt's remarkable essay Lying in Politics, Maria Popova explores why truth matters so deeply in public life. More than an essay about politics, it is a reflection on facts, self-deception, and the importance of preserving a shared reality. A timely reminder that meaningful conversation depends on our ability to distinguish truth from falsehood. Read the article
The Anger Trap
Sam Harris explores why we become trapped by our thoughts and emotions, and how that can fuel conflict in our personal lives and in society. Whether or not you share his enthusiasm for meditation, his reflections on anger, compassion, and the stories we tell ourselves offer a thought-provoking perspective on why better conversations begin with greater self-awareness. Read the article
Stop Giving Advice. Start Asking Better Questions
Most of us are quick to offer advice, often with the best of intentions. This thoughtful article argues that asking genuine questions, listening carefully, and allowing silence can be far more powerful. It echoes the idea that real conversation is less about providing answers and more about helping others think for themselves. Read the article
Keep My Work Alive
Sustaining 25 Years of shared learning and conversation
For 26 years, I've been sharing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter each month, and many of you have been reading it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also reached a milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary in September 2022.
If my work has made a difference to you, I'd be grateful if you could consider supporting it. A small monthly donation or any one-off contribution would greatly help cover some of my website hosting costs.
Thank you to the 50+ patrons who have already supported me - your generosity means a great deal.
Coaching
Bringing Conversational Leadership into your daily practice
If you're curious about how a more conversational approach might shift the way you work with others, whether in leading, learning, or collaborating, I offer one-to-one coaching tailored to your context.
We explore real challenges and possibilities through dialogue, helping you develop your own way of practicing Conversational Leadership in daily work.
Events
Talks, Knowledge Cafés and Workshops
I host regular Knowledge Cafés, both in person in London and online via Zoom. Open to all, they provide an opportunity for shared learning, reflection, and conversation. For details of upcoming public events, see here.
I also run tailored Knowledge Cafés for organisations, networks, and professional societies. For more information, see here.
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Gurteen Knowledge Letter
A monthly reflection on Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly email newsletter, in its 25th year, designed to inspire thinking on Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can explore the archive of past issues and subscribe here.
Feel free to share, copy, or reprint any part of this newsletter with friends, colleagues, or clients, as long as it's not for resale or profit and includes proper attribution. If you have any questions, please contact me.
David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
