Conversational
So, for me to become a great conversationalist and being able to interact with all types of people in
a fun and interesting way, I have decided to write up some ideas, thoughts and scripts which could
help me in becoming that person.
Thoughts –
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I must always speak from my diaphragm; this will allow me to have a tone of voice which is
much more empowering and less squeaky.
Have an interested look on your face, open and friendly. Have a twinkle in your eyes, but
don’t smile or don’t smile too much.
Don’t slump.
Use SOFTEN. Smile, Open Posture, Forward Lean, Touch, Eye Contact, Nod.
Value myself. I really am an interesting, good-looking guy, that people want to get to know
and learn more about, so never feel nervous during an interaction. Be confident in yourself
and know your worth, don’t care about being judged.
Feel part of the group.
Listen to the other person, be quiet and still. Then reply with an insightful comment, ask a
good question, respond with a story showing you understand.
Be curious!!!!!
Don’t be a yes man, have an opinion. You can agree and explain why you agree, you can
agree but also see the other perspective, you can disagree and explain why you disagree, or
you can disagree and question their opinion.
Have an open presence.
Give the other person complete attention.
Conversations are great when they move topic to topic and speaker to speaker in a smooth
and natural way.
What to talk about –
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A current shared experience. E.g., A hike, you could talk about the weather, the scenery,
how long the walk is, how you feel during the walk, how many hikes you’ve been on before
and compare it to this one. There are so many things to talk about, and each one of those
topics can lead to more and more topics to talk about.
Use inspiration and invitation. Inspiration is when you take lead and share something about
a certain topic (someone might ask how your day was, and you could either give a rubbish
response as ‘good’ or give inspiration by telling them something that you enjoyed doing
during your day which may inspire them to share something too. Once this happens you are
engaged in the conversation and can talk freely about endless topics.) and invitation is when
you invite the other person to speak by asking questions (after they tell you about their day
you ask questions about what they did, what they enjoyed and just keep it flowing).