Have you ever tried to meet someone new and as soon as you go to talk to them, you immediately forget how to hold a conversation?
Living in the 21st century with all of its technological innovations has expanded our ability to connect but inevitably has limited our ability to have physical conversation. It’s easy to carefully select your words while communicating online. Communicating online can even eliminate language barriers. During a physical conversation, we can’t pause for 5 minutes to select our responses and we certainly don’t have a translate button in our heads (well, most of us).
The next time you engage in physical conversation you could:
– Pay attention to the other person’s body language. If they’re tapping their foot or fidgeting, they’re probably uncomfortable or have something else to do. Their body language could tell you it’s time to end the conversation.
– If you’re ever having trouble answering a question in a casual conversation, it’s almost always possible to answer with a question. This not only distracts the other person from awaiting your answer but keeps the conversation going.
– At the beginning of a casual conversation, it’s ideal to get the person talking about themselves. Most people can talk on and on about themselves. Starting with this can help make the other person comfortable and open to more conversation.
I would recommend getting the person talking about themselves in order to keep a conversation going. Reading body language isn’t always accurate and answering with questions is just plain obnoxious sometimes. Have you ever experienced a physical conversation that was less exciting than hearing crickets? How did you get the conversation going?
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