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Writer's pictureAriana Friedlander

Four Reflection Questions for Being More Present in Conversation

Updated: Feb 28, 2022

This past week, we hosted our Annual Rosabella Tea and Cookies community celebration in honor and memory of our namesake’s birthday. I love everything about this tradition. Particularly the fact that it helps keep me grounded and connected to the source of inspiration that has led me down this path. I am also a big fan of Rosabella Tea, the scent of chamomile, spearmint and rose buds is so refreshing and calming.

For five years now, we’ve been making and gifting Rosabella Tea to customers in appreciation for their business. It is a small gesture of gratitude, meant to inspire our customers to slow down and create a little space for connecting with someone they care for….here’s the letter I wrote to our customers this year.


Greetings,

The scene was always the same at my Grandmom’s house for super. She would bustle about preparing the meal, sitting down for a brief moment to say grace before getting back up to attend to something in the kitchen. We would always beg of her to sit down and let us help but it was more important for her to feed us than to be fed.

Indeed, it was after super, after the dishes were cleared away and the kitchen was cleaned that she would give herself a moment to sit and be still with us. At this point my brother, father, Poppop and uncle had scattered in their different directions. It would be just my Grandmom, my mom and myself sitting down together.

Always in the center of the kitchen table was a pot of tea, a plate of cookies and a small pitcher of condensed milk. We all loved her cooking, my Grandmom made the best macaroni and meatballs in gravy (that’s what us Italian Americans call it). But it was the moment after dinner that I most enjoyed because this was when I could have a meaningful conversation with her.

A pot of tea has become symbolic of the types of moments we strive to create for clients at Rosabella Consulting. It’s those moments where we can be fully present and not distracted by the hubbub of life where we are able to connect, learn and grow together. These are the moments where we are able to harness our collective wisdom, co-creating innovative solutions to fatal business problems we could never resolve alone.

And it is our sincere hope that you may enjoy more of these special moments in your personal and professional life alike. As a token of our gratitude for your business we invite you to pause, sit down with someone you care for and share a pot of Rosabella tea on us!

With Our Deepest Gratitude,

Ariana M Friedlander Founder and Principal Rosabella Consulting, LLC

In the last six years, I have come to embrace the fact that my gift to share with the world is in creating a safe and open space for deep and meaningful dialog. In 2013 I worked with a friend and fellow facilitator, Karina to design and release the EntrepreNerds Participatory Facilitation Model. The model was the simplest way I could describe what I do.


When I released Participatory Facilitation I thought for sure that the most common opportunity for growth in conversation would be vulnerability. Much to my surprise I couldn’t be more wrong. After I introduce the model to groups I ask people to put a star next to the practice they excel at and a plus sign next to the practice they would like to improve. Then we talk about their reflections.

The vast majority of people identify “being present” as their greatest opportunity for improvement.

In retrospect, that’s not too surprising. Heck, as I’ve been writing this blog post I’ve received a number of texts, the buzz o

And since we are inviting people “to pause, sit down with someone you care for and share a pot of Rosabella tea on us!” it only seems fair to provide some journaling prompts to aide in having a conversation where they are also being fully present.

  1. What do you believe are the benefits to being present in conversation?

  2. What typically distracts you from being present in conversations?

  3. What can you do less of in order to be more present in conversations?

  4. What can you do more of in order to be more present in conversations?

As the hubub of the holidays approaches, being present for your loved ones is the best present you can give them! So set your intentions to be mindful and present so you may enjoy what this time of year is really all about.

What’s Rosabella Consulting Up To?

Fall is always a busy time of year for us at Rosabella Consulting and we enjoy the opportunity to support clients in finishing the year strong.

This month marks the year anniversary of the release of A Misfit Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building a Business Your Way and to wrap up our campaign to promote entrepreneurship and literacy we are distributing posters in Northern Colorado…Keep your eye out for them, post a picture on social media with #MisfitBook by Friday December 1 and be entered to win a signed copy of the book FREE!


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