What’s the Best Thing You’ve Done to Step Up Your Conversational Game?

[King]

Brehs, I’m trying to level up my conversational skills.

What’s been the most impactful thing you’ve done to get better at talking to folks and socializing in general?

Drop your tips and experiences

 

[FruitOfTheVale]

Brehs, I’m trying to level up my conversational skills.

What’s been the most impactful thing you’ve done to get better at talking to folks and socializing in general?

Drop your tips and experiences

In what setting?

Network building vs. workplace convos vs. dating convos vs. longterm relationship convos and etc. are all different.

I'm gonna assume you mean more in general but really though it depends on what you're tryna develop.

I used to be very introverted in HS, being in the entertainment biz (specifically film) I had to learn how to network properly as an adult and it took years of practice to get to the point where its easy. A lot of it is having enough experience that crosses over w/ who you're talking to, most people will loosen up once they realize you're in the same world as them and have been through enough of the same things to understand where they're coming from.

Having enough life experience that crosses over w/ who you're talking to is #1 imo, if you don't have that you won't be connecting like that anyway.

 

[Kasper KArr]

Read. Become more eloquent. Also, learn body language. When I was at Stanford I took a class at the business school on body language during negotiations. It helped immensely. I think they even have recorded lectures of the classes online on YouTube.

 

[Heafcliffe]

Four things:

- Follow current events (try to avoid politics, especially in an initial meeting, as it's a polarizing topic).
- Travel. Experiences removes limits [both mentally (read: verbally) and physically].
- Relax when speaking and learn the importance of pausing before speaking/ answering a question.
- No matter the setting, be as well dressed as possible. The better I look, the better I feel and the less anxious I am.

Good luck, my fellow brehthern.

 

[Mike Nasty]

Travel
Learn another language.
Read books about subjects you don't know
Listen to podcast of YouTube videos about subjects you know.


Watch whatever series is popular

 

[Wildin]

Watch whatever series is popular

Be careful, doing shyt that's not you, just because everyone else is doing it isnt genuine. If you don't regularly watch TV, don't tune into game of thrones and queens gambit and Yellowstone cause everyone is watching it.

For shyt like that, that's when you use conversation skills and say

"I haven't watched, I'm not really familiar with it, tell me about it." This will get them talking to you. Then you follow up with "who's your favorite character?" Ask about the show try to build interest, get them talking about it. It could actually build into a real interest for you "is there an episode you'd recommend?" Then you watch it and report back to them...

The thing is, you have to pull at different strings otherwise every time y'all talk it'll be about that one show, or just shows in general.

It can't always be you pulling the strings, at some point y'all have to conversate enough to where the other person says something or asks something about you.

 

[Lieutenant Daniels]

Listening to understand the person, what they are actually saying. What they call ACTIVE listening. Eye contact, acknowledgement of what has been said, repeat the main premise of their point, ask questions, relate to their point. That’s how I manage ALL conversations in life no matter what setting.

Most people in conversations aren’t actually listening to you, they are just waiting for their turn to talk. It’s easy to identify people like that because they’ll interrupt you mid sentence constantly because they anxiously await their turn to talk

 

[Knucklehead]

Everyone likes talking about themselves. Start asking questions. Begin with where are you from or where did you go to school. Ask for a restaurant or travel recommendation. Try to have enough knowledge to ask relevant follow ups.

 

[Busted_Toes]

Porn. Once you've seen a LaSirena69 scene, you'll always have something to talk about.

 

[PatCake]

-Be concise (clear and short).

- Get to the point FIRST, THEN provide the details and background. We are trying to communicate task/asks etc, this is not a movie where you provide backdrop first.

-Think first, then speak. Don't rush to respond, consider a question before you answer it(this one is really hard. Natural instincts are very hard to control). Often I try to organize my thoughts and prioritize important points by thinking how would I convey this message in 5 seconds? 10 seconds? 30 seconds? 1 minute?

- Consider what is need-to-know vs want-to-know information.

 

[NoMorePie]

I listen more. I try my best to actually comprehend what they're saying, instead of waiting for them to stop talking so I can say what had been on my mind