Here are three simple ways that you can learn how to start a conversation and keep it going.
1. Be confident in yourself.
Consider that the other person has an interest in what it is you have to say. Sometimes people have trouble with conversation because of a lack of confidence in themselves.
The irony is that even if you are only pretending to be confident other people will assume that you are confident.
They will then be more responsive to what you say and it becomes easier to engage them in conversation.
2. Think of a compliment.
A great way to start a conversation is by complimenting someone to. For example, you might say, “By the way Susan that was an excellent presentation you gave today.”
Tell someone you like his new car, his shoes, his hair or the way he talks and you will have set the scene for a friendly chat.
It is very hard for anyone to resist positive feedback. We all love to hear sincere compliments and we then feel compelled to treat the giver of the compliment favourably.
3. Ask the other person questions about themselves.
There’s no better way to start a conversation than ask someone a question about themselves.
Most people love to talk about themselves. If you ask someone a question about themselves you will most likely not have to do any other talking throughout the rest of the conversation.
And most likely that personal will leave the conversation thinking very highly of you because you cared so much about them and their interests.
They will certainly consider that you are a great conversationalist even though you may have said very little.
These three simple tips are all you need to learn how to start a conversation and keep it going. Not only are the above tips helpful in learning how to start a conversation but they will also work in keeping a conversation flowing.
For example, if the conversation seems to come to an end prematurely ask another question or make another compliment. Use these tips and you can change your life. And now is the time to start.
The author of this article is Will Kintish, the leading UK authority on effective and confident networking both offline and online. If you’d like Will to speak at your conference or training workshops, call on 0161 773 3727. Visit www.kintish.co.uk, www.linkedintraining.co.uk and www.kintish.tv for further free and valuable information on all aspects of networking.