How To Make Talking Easy

Why is it so tough to talk with people?

You must be able to communicate to succeed in any business and make money.  Oddly enough, we are constantly communicating. But living in an era of direct messages, emails, texts, and tweets, it is becoming harder and harder to talk to one another. The heartbreaking thing is a conversation is an art form that is necessary more now than ever.

To get ahead, whether in business or your personal life, you must know how to communicate with people using something more than content on a screen. If making conversation is intimidates you, then use these tips to master the art of talking. 

4 Tricks for Talking to Anyone

1. Ask Thought-Provoking Questions

Instead of asking questions that can be responded to with ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ try raising questions necessitating more complicated answers. For example, if you are in a networking situation, learn something about the people you will meet. Asking specifically about a project they are working on will lead to more interesting answers than a question like, “What’s new in your company,” which is too broad to answer well.

2. Forget the Weather

The tendency to fall back on weather as a topic of discussion is boring and a death knell to communication. Turn weather talk around by asking a related question that redirects discussion at the same time. For example, “You are right, it has been pretty hot out. It makes me think about heading somewhere cooler. What is the best vacation you have ever had?”

3. Learn to Add-On

This is a simple skill where you take what someone has asked, add something to it, and then add a question at the end. This keeps things rolling even when someone has stopped the conversation with a yes/no question or something about weather. For instance, if you are asked if you saw the game last night, you might say, “Yes, that play at the end was something else. It reminds me of the time when I went to see them play in person. When was the best game you have ever seen?”

4. Attention to Detail

Be the person who observes when the situation is ‘going south’. Be prepared to jump in with a question or new topic if you see people are getting awkward with the situation. For a fast fix, pay someone a compliment. That puts the focus on someone else entirely and provides a convenient distraction.

Being a great communicator will come more naturally with practice. The essential point is to relax and be your welcoming, personable self. Pay attention to the discussion and take some care in choosing your words. You will discover yourself having great conversations in no time.