Conversations are the fabric of our existence. As social creatures, being able to interact in a joyful and meaningful way is the essence of our humanity. 

These strategies for having a good conversation are relevant to online and offline social interaction.

Here are the strategies:

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Topics of Interest

Find topics of interest to the other person is a powerful way to engage the conversation partner.

This is effective if you’re able to do research on the person ahead of time (i.e., before going into an interview) but it’s also applicable to the people to whom you’re already close and know well.

If you don’t know what their interests are, think of dinner table topics or recent things you’ve learned. Maybe you recently listened to a fascinating podcast, bring that up. Perhaps you’ve just finished a wonderful book, talk about that!

Draw from 

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Listen More

It’s important to listen more than you speak if you want to be a good conversation partner.

Everyone likes to be listened to. When you show your conversation partner that kind of respect, they’ll trust you more and want to open up to you and speak from the heart.

Being eloquent is less important than the ability to connect to the other person.

And you can’t really connect to someone unless you know who they are. 

This is where the listening comes in.

Listening wholeheartedly allows

The best conversationalists are often the best listeners.

Demonstrate that you are listening to the person through visual feedback (i.e., leaning in, triple nod, smiling, nodding, etc.) because this encourages them to keep talking.

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Good Follow Up Questions

There are so many different ways to approach the conversation.

As they’re speaking focus on what they’re saying and try to think of possible directions to take the conversation in.

Don’t be afraid of pauses and bits of silence. This allows both parties to process the information as well as 

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The best conversations are the ones that feel effortless. That’s partly a product of how well you know each other. Because you know each other well, you’re able to have good exchanges. The more you get to know who they are and develop the friendship or relationship the better the conversations will be. 

By adopting a Mindspace of curiosity you’ll lay the groundwork to find topics of genuine interest, listen better, ask the right questions. This will set you up to have a great conversation and the better the conversations, the better chance you have at building rapport and getting to know the person well.

Try these strategies out and add them to your Explearning Communication Toolkit.

See you in the next lesson!

Happy Explearning ⚡

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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