Listen before deciding
Check what someone means, make room for a correction and ask a question whose answer can change your view.
Curated path · Available on iPhone
Introduction to Communication
Say what matters. Understand the reply. Work towards a clear next step.
Included with Catalogue, Learner and Professional. See access details.
Who this path is for
For the conversation you keep putting off.
A missed deadline, a change of plans or a concern you have only hinted at. This path helps you prepare what to say, understand the other person’s account and ask for a practical change.
For people who want to communicate more clearly with colleagues, partners, friends or family. No prior study or reading is needed: the lessons introduce each idea through ordinary situations, then give you a short practice to try.
What you will learn
Three things to practise.
Make the concern clear
Separate what happened from your interpretation. Explain how it affected you and why it matters.
Ask, agree and follow through
Make a specific request, clarify the response and return constructively when a conversation has gone badly.
A preview of Lesson 01
The music is keeping you awake. What do you say?
The first lesson begins with a familiar problem: you need something to change, and you want to keep getting along.
1:06 preview · Narrated by Mark
Download the audio preview (MP3, 775 KB)Read the preview transcript
What would you say if the music in the next room kept you awake, but you also wanted to get along with the person playing it? You could leave it for another night. Or you could knock on the door and say everything you've been holding back. But there is another possibility: telling them what the music is doing to your evening, and asking for a change you can both understand.
That sounds straightforward while nobody's upset. It can be harder when you're tired, the music has started again, and you want the other person to realise that this matters. Your words then have two jobs. They need to make the problem clear, and they need to leave enough room for an answer.
Welcome to this introduction to communication. I'm Mark, and over seven lessons we'll look at the small choices that help when a conversation matters to you. You'll practise listening, explaining a concern, asking a useful question and making a clear request. And we'll finish with how to return to a conversation that has already gone badly.
You don't need a dramatic disagreement to begin. These choices can help with a shared home, a work commitment, or plans with a friend. The aim is to make what matters easier to discuss.
An excerpt from the lesson in Catalyst. Listen to the complete narration and read the full lesson in the app.
The complete sequence
Your seven lessons.
Start with a conversation you care about. Practise listening and speaking clearly, then bring the pieces together in a request and a useful return to the conversation.
Say what matters without turning it into a verdict
Identify a specific conversation and a useful purpose without choosing between silence and attack.
Audio · 7:58Listen long enough to find the actual problem
Let a point develop, check your understanding and ask what kind of response would help.
Audio · 7:22Give the other person something specific to answer
Separate an observation from your interpretation and explain why the difference matters.
Audio · 7:44Say what you feel and why it matters
Express your emotional response, connect it to what matters and distinguish it from an inference about someone else.
Audio · 8:01Ask a question whose answer can change your view
Ask one useful question, inspect its assumptions and make room for correction, uncertainty or a refusal to answer.
Audio · 7:13Turn the concern into a request
Prepare a clear concern, make a practical request and use the response to agree a realistic next step.
Audio · 7:51Return to the conversation with something changed
Acknowledge your part in a difficult exchange, invite a return when appropriate and connect repair with practical follow-through.
Audio · 8:34
Total recorded audio: 54:43. Lesson lengths are rounded to the nearest second at normal playback speed. Listen in order at your own pace; seven lessons do not need to mean seven consecutive days.
Ideas behind the path
Sources and further reading.
Catalyst brings together selected ideas from Nonviolent Communication, Crucial Conversations and Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. The lessons use original everyday scenarios and short practices to explore them.
For further reading: Marshall B. Rosenberg on observations, feelings, needs and requests; Crucial Learning on preserving honesty and respect in a difficult conversation; and the Gottman Institute on repair after a difficult exchange.
Available in Catalyst
Listen to the complete path.
All seven lessons include narration and readable lesson text with a Catalogue, Learner or Professional subscription.
This Introduction path is also eligible for Catalyst’s rotating free selection. Availability changes; check the app to see the current selection.
You do not need generation credits to listen to this catalogue path. Learner and Professional also include credits for creating personal paths.
Before you begin
A few practical questions.
Is this useful at work as well as at home?
Yes. The lessons move between work commitments, shared living, relationships and family plans. The same sequence—describe the concern, listen, ask and agree a next step—can be adapted to the situation.
Do I need to read the books first?
No. The path explains the selected ideas as you need them. The source links are there if you want to explore the original work afterwards.
Do I have to finish in seven days?
No. The lessons build in order, but you can pause, replay or leave time to try a practice before continuing. The recorded lessons total 54 minutes and 43 seconds at normal speed.
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