Tip for Good Communication Skills and Good Conversation
you don’t need to be Laurence Olivier nor Hamlet to entertain, just use this good conversation and communication skills
Don’t you just hate unimaginative conversation? It’s like a doughnut without jam. You take an inquisitive nibble, perhaps asking where someone is from, to which you receive a lifeless answer: “Banbury.” Then a disappointing silence grips the air. Your doughnut has turned to stale bread. Your conversation is dead. You know nothing of Banbury, and your conversational partner seems to have his lips sealed. Well, let’s make an agreement to never suffer such stale, flat and unprofitable conversation again. Let’s all employ the use of this nifty nugget of a tip for good communication skills.
Our Agreement for Good Conversation and Communication Skills: Never Use Stale Answers
What is a stale answer? A stale answer is one which takes the conversation no further. For instance: “What do you do?” “Writer.”
This would be a stale answer. It gives the asker nothing to sink their teeth into.
Another: “Who are you?”
“Paul.”
. . .
Honestly, where the heck is anyone going to take that conversation? “Oh, is that with a P or with a . . . uhhhh. . . ?!” Such answers are a bullet in the head of a conversation and in this economy we can’t afford the ambulances. So let us never use such stale answers again. Agreed? As a result, we’ll all enjoy much more engaging conversations. Conversations which make people want to talk to us. Conversations which lead to profitable relationships, be they of a business or romantic nature or simple a means to while away the hours of a flight.
Applying the jam to the doughnut of your answer is easy. Instead of saying, “I’m from Banbury” offer some interesting insight. “I’m from the land of spiced current cakes and ale.”
Banbury has no Wembley Stadium. . . spiced current cakes and ale are our claim to fame. But even this provides some fodder for conversation. “Oh, which local ales are your favourite?” could be a follow up, or just as simply, my conversational partner might say, “I see you know a lot about the area. I haven’t been here before. What else could you tell me about Banbury.” The point is, there is somewhere to go. Not only does the jam in my answer fill the tummy of the conversation and keep it ticking merrily over for a while longer, but it will also be gratefully received. People are painfully accustomed to stale answers. Even if your response is less than ingenious, it will seem a precious treat to the starved palate of your company. They’re sure to thank you for it.
Well, I’m happy we had this conversation, you and I. If you think friends or family would be intrigued by this agreement then please do share.