how to converse?

Communication, exchange, thought ideas…. Where would we be without all of them? But everything has a start? And the question is how do we initiate a conversation. Here are a set of ideas that may help.

• What is the purpose of the conversation : Identify what you are trying to achieve through the conversation, whether it is a display of your innocence, a genuine interest in the other person, a hidden agenda and lots more. Define to yourself as to why you are doing what you are and let that formalize a set of thoughts on its own.
• Show genuine interest – There wouldn’t be many people in the world who would complain that the only thing you did was talk about them! We all love talking about ourselves, we all find ourselves the most interesting people in the world – rightly so, cos we have spent so much of time and energy on grooming ourselves. Show this genuine interest in a person and they’d love to show some on you. People are a considerate sort, all they need is a genuine ear to listen

• Be relevant– I have been in conversations where I have kept wondering as to where this would be going and how it is related to what is happening  around. Don’t make your audience wonder, establish the connection. I wouldn’t like to talk about something totally unrelated unless I know a person. If it is a new contact, I would prefer a start with something I am comfortable with and also relevant to the other person.

• Don’t flatter– If there is one thing people see right through you is flattery. It is one of the worst ways of trying to establish connection with a person. Genuine people hate it to the core and it most certainly is one of the worst ways to establish your personality cos it says something really terrible about you, it says that you are dishonest.

• Gestures – The first and foremost basic rule of any conversation is a smile. That is one of the most invaluable gifts we ever get to have and the one way to express our personality or a way to get an introduction to the personality. The magic words, hello and please I believe are quite underrated but still work like a charm. But nothing works as good as your smile, does it? Apart from these, the other rules apply like eye contact, hand movements, your expressions, variations in voice, so on..

• Don’t forget the name – One of THE MOST important things to any person in the world would be there identity, the moment someone realizes that you don’t remember their name, half the effort you put in for the conversation is over. It kind of nullifies all the effort put in to make things happen. And it is totally unfair to lose out on small things, especially when you consider how big the losses are.
• Gratitude –Thank the other person. For when someone is in a conversation with you, they are spending the most valuable thing on earth with you – TIME. Recognize and appreciate with the same and make sure the message is conveyed as well.

All these tips certainly wouldn’t guarantee you a flawless communication and impression but they certainly can help go the long distance