What I Wear-The Art Of Conversation

I will freely admit that I'm naturally a very shy person. End of story. But being a Pastor's daughter has stretched me in many ways! Including, but not limited to, learning the art of conversation. If I push myself a bit, I could talk to a brick wall. Seriously! I've talked to a wide variety of people, some are harder to talk to than others. Most of the time though, people just need you to give them 2 seconds of a listening ear, that's all it takes for them to overflow with conversation! But the unfortunate flip side is, most people aren't really sure how to carry on a conversation that is pleasant for both parties engaging in the conversation. Although it would be a very tedious conversation, I could spend my time asking you all the questions. The best conversations I have, are when it's a two way conversation! The perfect conversation should look something like a ping pong game, you ask someone a question, which they answer. Then they ask you a question and so on and so forth. Would you take the ball during a game and hold it for ten minutes? Hopefully not! So here are a few tips for carrying on a good conversation with someone else:

1. Ask follow up questions. If someone says they like to perform brain surgery (hey, hypothetical conversation here..) you could follow that question with "How long have you been performing brain surgery?"

2. Try not to talk about yourself for an extended amount of time, ask the other person questions about them. If you're both asking questions, neither of you is going to end up bored from the conversation that way.

3. Be outgoing. Yes, it takes practice! And no, you're not exempt! You can't always expect the other person to come to you first.

4. Try to find some sort of common ground. Maybe you both enjoy reading, or crocheting. Try to talk about something that interests both you and the other person.

5. LISTEN! Listen to the other person and retain what they are saying. If they mention their Grandma isn't feeling well, ask them how she's feeling the next time you see each other. That way, the other person feels loved and knows you're listening and care about what they're saying.

6. Do unto others. If you're esteeming the other person as more important than yourself, that's really the only step you need and you can pretty much ignore the other steps! ;) However, if you need tips....refer to ideas 1-5 =)

How about you-any tips for a great conversation?

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