Mastering the art of small talk
Mastering the art of small talkOh that awkward moment, when you first talk to someone you don’t know.
Trying to make small talk, desperately trying to find something to get the conversation going.
Chatting one-on-one with a person you’ve just met can be as terrifying as giving a speech in front of a big crowd.
But learning basic conversation skills is essential for your ability to connect with people. And it can make all the difference for your success—both professionally and with potential friends and love interests.
In this video, I give some essential tips on how to improve your conversation skills, including:
- Why small talk is a necessary evil…but doesn’t have to be evil
- 2 fundamental ways to improve your small talk
- How the concept of “synchronizing” can help expedite building rapport
- The importance of seeing small talk as a way to find common ground
- The foolproof formula to start a conversation with anyone, anywhere
- The biggest mistake most people make with small talk—and the thing that gives small talk a bad rap
- How you can go beyond using open-ended questions and learn to “open up” your responses to expand conversations
- The critical importance of not missing out on “free information”
- Why we should think about people as being like novels
- The most successful way to network in professional situations
