In my opinion, I think pretty much everyone hates small talk. It is uncomfortable and forced conversation. We are uncomfortable with a period of silence. I get it, I will jump in and break that silence 99% of the time. I realized a couple of things in researching this resource (I have my own questions that I ask but I can always use more) the reason that we hate small talk so much is because it is not a genuine interaction.
In this paper, I want to give you some key tools to make Small Talk more authentic. If you put these into practice it just may change your mind about small talk and networking in general.
Cross the line of Personal & Professional
The older I get and the more networking that I do convinces me that this line doesn't exist.
…show more content…
Do not be afraid to just walk up to someone who you want to meet and introduce yourself. If you start the conversation in a genuine way the person is more likely to converse with you. If you start the conversation it takes the pressure off the other party as well.
What does it mean to be the fool? This is an idea that I got from Debra Fine but it should always be the standard. If you have not read her book the Fine Art of Small Talk get it today. Being the fool is taking the lead in the awkward moments of a conversation like forgetting a name. I am notorious for forgetting someone's name, so I make my self the fool and say, "I apologize can you remind me of your name." It shows that you care about the person that they are not just a number and it shows them that you are authentic or genuine.
People naturally love to talk about themselves. That's not difficult to get started in a conversation, just ask good questions and then ask the follow-up. I heard an interview last week with Larry King. In the interview, Larry was asked what was his favorite question to ask. Larry responded, "Why." If you look back over his career and some of his profound interviews he sits and asks why. That is an acceptable question, and it will keep the conversation flowing and build trust in you and the relationship.
3. Ask Good
…show more content…
I find that it throws people off. I usually add "start with...How you got to [City], How you got into [Industry/The Business Of]"
"Have you been here before?" (Venue or Event)
“What do you think about [insert topic germane to the event or person here]?"
“Wow, I just can't believe all the crazy news headlines today. What a week!”
“Did you catch the game last night?”
“I was just on LinkedIn and saw that we went to the same college.” Or: “I saw on LinkedIn that you also worked with so-and-so!” This can work well if you have met the person in passing or you saw the person and started the conversation with this.
“How long have you been a member of this organization?”
“I read your book!” Or: “I was really impressed by the speech you gave at an event last year.”
“What do you love about your job?”
"What are you passionate about? What makes you get up in the mornings?" This is a really personal question but can work as long as you are willing to call out the BS Answer if they give it.
"What is your Purpose?"
Follow Ups
"Why?"
“What drew you to that line of work?” “What do you like/hate about your job?”
"What got you into [Industry/The Business Of]" “Why are you interested in working in that industry specifically?” “Are you from the
Gossip can be a form of either informal or conversational talk that is not usually planned but happens spontaneously in conversation (Tholander, 2003). Gossip is a distinct and unusual form of storytelling as it involves a non-present third person. In order for a story to be considered as gossip it must handle a past event of which the absent third party was involved in. It often occurs within friendships,
Listen, there 's nothing wrong with being a gregarious person, nor is it bad to be chatty and conversational. Trust me, introverts like me rely on you to fill the awkward silences of life.
me the first time they met me and what they still think of me now. I surveyed a couple of
A vital aspect of interpersonal communication is the style in which one listens. While every individual possesses their own preferred method of listening in communication, it can be enlightening to analyze our own strengths and weaknesses so as to maximize effectual communication. Within the confines of four main listening style categories, I have chosen those which best describe my own personal listening style.
First of all, I would like to discuss what I believe the most important thing that I have learned throughout my high school career is. I have learned many things throughout the last four years, from lessons taugh...
It is important to present yourself as a strong confident communicator. If you do not take yourself seriously what makes you think other people will. In my life, I have found that I am a confident communicator most of the time. However, sometimes I doubt myself and jumble my words to create an unclear message.
Steve A. Beebe, S. J. (2008). Interpersonal Communication. In A. a. Pearson, Interpersonal Communication, Relating To Others- Fifth Edition. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Education, Inc.
The purpose of this paper is not to teach you, or to show you how interpersonal communication is essential to everyday life at home or work. But, I am going to do my best to at least show you how essential communication skills are in all areas of life by using me as the example. My plan is to focus on some of the elements of interpersonal communication that we have been touching on this semester. While reading our Interpersonal Communications Book, three goals kept being highlighted that I personally wanted to accomplish by the end of course. I’m sure that by now have noticed that I keep referring to my topics as goals. The reason why I’m doing so is because I’m still on that learning curve…an ongoing process. If can recall back to all of our assignment in this course they all bring one collective point. That point is that, Interpersonal communication is an essential skill in everything that we do in life.
Interpersonal communication is one of the significant skills while communicating with other individuals. It normally covers an extensive area and includes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Body language and facial expression may affect the accurateness of the message transmission directly. Interpersonal communication skills normally ensure that the message is sent and received correctly without any alteration thus improving the communication efficiency. Learning diverse aspects of interpersonal communication has greatly aided me in better understanding of what it consists. I am capable of applying the knowledge gained from this course to my personal experiences. This paper reflects on my personal experience in learning interpersonal communication.
“Social interaction refers to any relationship between two or more individuals. It is the result of the environment where this relationship takes place and it has an impact on people’s behavior.” (Holster, 2016) Social interaction exists everywhere in the world. And with the advanced technology, the ways we interact with others are changing rapidly.
Floyd, Kory. Interpersonal Communication: The Whole Story. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 140. Print.
The presence, or absence, of skills that relate to communication with oneself (intrapersonal communication) are critical influencers of many other aspects of oneself (Beebe, 2015). In particular, one’s intrapersonal communication impresses on one’s intrapersonal communication: mutual communication between yourself and at least one other (Beebe, 2015). The relationship between these two types of communication is complex and worth exploring. Using examples from seminar and my own life, in this paper, I will analyze my own self-concept and perception, and relate my intrapersonal communication skills to their effects on my interpersonal communication skills. I
I am friendly, hardworking, extroverted, and most of all I can easily connect with people. I don’t have a problem connecting with people and all the different personalities. The connection is my one way of showing them that I care and I hear them. Nadine Lueras-Tramma (2011) state that, “it feels good to feel connected to other people.” In fact, it is easy for me to talk to people if I feel like there is a connection, in that, it's not difficult for me to make conversation. When I was in school, I loved doing group tasks and participating in panel discussions. Because of my childhood experience and how my parents responded to my gestures immediately and in a consistent manner, which suggests why I’ve grown up as an extroverted, outgoing and family oriented
Conversation is ultimately very beneficial to a community. It helps people to form bonds with each other and to make strangers feel like friends. This type of talk engages the mind and can improve relations with other people. Conversation brings together people that have common interests, but also welcomes those of different interests or
Interaction is a significant part of our daily lives. Oral communication with others is inevitable, and therefore it is crucial for us to acquire the skills to do so correctly. Aside from simply stating words or expressing ideas, oral communication serves various purposes. Oral communication allows an individual to express emotions, ideas, and feelings; it gives people the ability to empower, inspire, and motivate those who listen; and it allows people to share knowledge and traditions, as well as build their self-esteem. Oral communication is also useful in leading us to new discoveries, ideas, cultures, and perspectives (O’Neill). Thus, oral communication serves several different purposes in daily life; yet each of these purposes are connected to an even larger purpose. According to the textbook Communication: Making Connections, “Effective communication is critical to living successfully in today’s soc...