Good Conversations - The Basics
Most people love to communicate by way of conversation, following a few basic guidelines can help improve the quality of our interactions with others.
Be Calm and Casual Have an relaxed attitude when engaged in conversation.
Try not to be nervous or rush things as this will make the other person feel awkward.
Try to be totally relaxed and don't try too hard, this will ensure your talking partner feels at ease with you.
Smile People who smile are much more likeable and approachable than those who don't smile alot.
Smiling is the easiest way to connect with the person you are talking to right from the outset.
It tells the other person that you are warm and friendly and would be a nice person to talk to.
Eye Contact Making eye contact in a friendly way is also very important as it shows the other person that you are honest and upfront.
People instinctively feel that someone who avoids eye contact has something to hide or is lying.
Just bear in mind though that if you overdo eye contact you may end up staring which will intimidate the other person.
So maintain friendly eye contact for a while and then maybe look away briefly, smile and then continue on with the eye contact.
Be a Listener Make an effort to listen with interest at what the other person is saying, never interrupt as this comes across as rude.
Let them have their say and then talk and contribute yourself.
Don't talk about yourself until the other person asks, always show an interest in them first.
The key to maintaining the momentum in a good conversation is to basically ask open questions of the other person to get them talking.
The top three things most people like to talk about are - 1.
Themselves People love to tell you about themselves, its their specialist subject that they know all about.
So show an interest and let them tell you all about themselves, they are sure to have a lot to say on this topic.
2.
Other people People love to gossip so most people will have a great time talking about others.
You could ask about the latest dating news about a work colleague or chat about what the neighbour got up to at the weekend.
3.
Their opinions The other thing most people love to do is give you their opinion, especially on the topics they feel strongly about.
So firstly ask about their interests and then ask their opinions on related subjects.
Be Calm and Casual Have an relaxed attitude when engaged in conversation.
Try not to be nervous or rush things as this will make the other person feel awkward.
Try to be totally relaxed and don't try too hard, this will ensure your talking partner feels at ease with you.
Smile People who smile are much more likeable and approachable than those who don't smile alot.
Smiling is the easiest way to connect with the person you are talking to right from the outset.
It tells the other person that you are warm and friendly and would be a nice person to talk to.
Eye Contact Making eye contact in a friendly way is also very important as it shows the other person that you are honest and upfront.
People instinctively feel that someone who avoids eye contact has something to hide or is lying.
Just bear in mind though that if you overdo eye contact you may end up staring which will intimidate the other person.
So maintain friendly eye contact for a while and then maybe look away briefly, smile and then continue on with the eye contact.
Be a Listener Make an effort to listen with interest at what the other person is saying, never interrupt as this comes across as rude.
Let them have their say and then talk and contribute yourself.
Don't talk about yourself until the other person asks, always show an interest in them first.
The key to maintaining the momentum in a good conversation is to basically ask open questions of the other person to get them talking.
The top three things most people like to talk about are - 1.
Themselves People love to tell you about themselves, its their specialist subject that they know all about.
So show an interest and let them tell you all about themselves, they are sure to have a lot to say on this topic.
2.
Other people People love to gossip so most people will have a great time talking about others.
You could ask about the latest dating news about a work colleague or chat about what the neighbour got up to at the weekend.
3.
Their opinions The other thing most people love to do is give you their opinion, especially on the topics they feel strongly about.
So firstly ask about their interests and then ask their opinions on related subjects.
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