start every conversation with a great question

Get the better conversations calendar!

• 🥱 Are you tired of generic conversation starters like, “How are you? Where are you from? How was your day at school?”

• 💃🏽 Want to have incredible conversations that still feel natural and organic?

• ✨ Are you ready to have conversations that make the day shine a bit brighter?

The Better Conversations Calendar will give you the words to improve your conversations in every area of your life, all year long. Try it with your friends, coworkers, partners, family, community groups, or anyone you want to connect with in a fresh and more authentic way.

$24.99
Each calendar page is 11” W x 8.5” L
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Hey there! My name is Kat Vellos and I’m the author of the book We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships. Since my work is all about helping adults find authentic connection, I surprised a lot of people when I confessed in this post and this one that I seriously dislike the question “how are you?”

This confession felt risky because I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Nope! Turns out that thousands of people across all my social media accounts secretly felt the same way. Waves of people wrote back, expressing their similar feelings of frustration at this generic question and the way it’s used as a throwaway greeting instead of a true inquiry into another person’s wellbeing. The socially-expected reply to “How are you?” is “Fine” or “Good, and you?” — but that leaves a lot of people feeling frustrated and still hungry for deep, honest, high-quality conversation.

That’s why I created the Better Conversations Calendar. It gives you HUNDREDS of alternatives to our most common small talk questions and throwaway greetings, so you never have to sleepwalk your way through a conversation again.

By communicating with more thoughtfulness and creativity, our conversations can become places where we all feel more seen, heard, valued, and understood — and where we have a lot more fun.

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What people are saying

FAQs

Q: What exactly is this?
A: It’s a wall calendar that gives you an entire year’s worth of conversation starters to spark authentic connection and better conversations in all parts of your life. Each month gives you fresh alternatives to the typical small talk questions like:
• How are you?
• Where are you from?
• How was school/work today?
• What did you do this weekend?

By going beyond these basics, you open up entirely new worlds of authentic connection with colleagues, friends, and people in your life. When you open your conversations with a new question or a sincere statement, there’s a good chance that the other person will be surprised and delighted to hear it.

If you don’t use wall calendars and would like the content in the form of desktop wallpapers instead, we’ve got you covered with the Better Conversations digital wallpapers.

Q: How can I place a bulk order? I want to give these to my staff, conference attendees, and community groups.
A: Thanks for your enthusiasm, love to see it. Send me a note letting me know how many calendars you’d like and where you need them shipped. I’ll be in touch!

Q: Where do you ship?
A: Calendars are shipping to the United States. If you’re outside the US, click here. 😘

Q: What other goodies do you have for having better conversations and stronger friendships?
A: You might like my Better than Small Talk cards, and my book, We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships — it will give you the tools to experience more success and joy when making and maintaining friendships in adulthood.

About The CreatoR

Kat Vellos is a trusted expert on the power of cultivating meaningful connections. Her focus is on adult friendship, community-building, and creating healthy work environments.

She’s the author of We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships, which was called “marvelous” in a starred review by BookLife, a subsidiary of Publishers Weekly. Kirkus Reviews gave the book glowing reviews which are echoed in consumer reviews on Amazon. Since its release in January 2020, it’s been helping adults around the world heal from disconnection and loneliness.   

Kat has twenty years of experience creating communities where people find belonging and authentic connection. A veteran facilitator, she founded Better than Small Talk and Bay Area Black Designers, which was profiled in Forbes. Kat’s approach to connection is informed by her background as a researcher and UX designer. She’s worked for Slack, Pandora, and multiple Silicon Valley startups. She’s spoken at TEDx Talks, SF Design Week, Design for America, Social Good Tech Week, the Transforming Loneliness Summit, and more. Her writing and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, Communication Arts, Shondaland, The Good Life Project, Hurry Slowly, and many more.

Through her books, products, courses, and speaking engagements, Kat’s work has helped thousands of people experience greater wellness and fulfillment through thriving platonic relationships. Learn more and reach out to collaborate at katvellos.com

Need friendship advice?

Could you use some help in the friendship department? I wrote the book We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships and I’d love to invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter. You’ll get practical, inspiring friendship advice and resources for creating stronger connections. Subscribers get first dibs on all my good stuff: products, discounts, events where you can make new friends, and occasional surprises. It’s free, straight to your inbox. 

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