Reading all the conversation tips available in books and online, it would be easy to get the idea that there’s an endless amount of conversation skills to be mastered. That in turn might lead a person to feel they could never get to the point where they’ll be able to string together a sentence, let alone have an enjoyable conversation.
The fact is that millions of enjoyable conversation happen all the time without the participants being aware of what they’re doing, just as a lot of people, for example, enjoy taking photographs, and sometimes take a good one.
The fact is, though, that it’s possible to improve those skills. All skills, in any field, can be improved.
In conversation, the main skills to concentrate on are the following :-
1) Listening
2) Body language
3) Getting into the right frame of mind
3a) Introducing yourself
3b) Conversation starters
4) Conversation topics – the old standbys and other more tailored themes
5) Developing the conversation
5a) Using the big six questions
5b) establishing common ground
5c) jumping and hopping topics to take the conversation in unusual directions
6) self-monitoring
7) monitoring your conversation partner’s responses, both spoken and posture
knowing when to exit9) Knowing how to exit
Not so many, and not so scary when you see them all listed like that, are they?
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