To make a conversation feel natural and spontaneous it often takes a few key ingredients. First of all, the participants need to have words to be able to express themselves. To build vocabulary I use a combination of tools such as Mind Maps and the Tell Back and of course some sort of resource that inspires ideas (an article, a video, a podcast, a photo, etc...). Using an outside resource also attaches the vocabulary to a context which enhances recall. Then, once the participants are fuelled with words and a good launching point, I use a variety of different questions to keep the discussion going. For that, I use the Questions by Cognitive Skill tool the help me craft questions that will lead to interesting insights. What can I say, if it looks easy and effortless, it's probably because I invested a good deal of thinking ahead of time. Here are the tools that help me do that: