Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

by Charles Duhigg

Of course, they couldn’t call them rules. Rules were verboten at Netflix! So Myers and her team called them guidelines. As they began conducting employee workshops, hosting conversations with various divisions, and offering training sessions for leaders on diversity and inclusion, the guidelines were always made clear: When discussing issues of identity, no one is allowed to blame, shame, or attack anyone else. It is okay to ask questions, if they are asked in good faith.[*2] Goals were detailed at the beginning of each session—“Do your best to connect with compassion and courage”; “Embrace the discomfort and sense of not knowing”—and conversations were structured by moderators through reminders such as “I want to bring our attention to some things that were just said” or “Some people are very emotional about this issue; maybe we can all take a breath.”