People form up to 90% of their opinion about you in the first four minutes of meeting you so it's critical to have effective ways to start conversations in any situation. You have only three opening topics to choose from to start the conversion:
1) the situation
2) the other person
3) yourselfAnd only three ways to begin:
1) asking question
2) giving an opinion
3) stating a fact1. Talking about the Situation» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
Talking about the situation you are both in is usually the simplest and easiest way to start. Simply look around and ask an Open-Ended question about what you notice. This can be done anywhere, for example -
At a market: "I notice you're buying zucchinis. I've never known how to cook them. How do you prepare them?"
At an art gallery: "What do you think the artist was trying to say?"
At a meeting: "How did you happen to be at this meeting?"
In a line at a restaurant: "Why do you think this place is so popular?"
In a supermarket: "What do you think is the best way to use this detergent?"
Opening a business presentation: "How did you get started in this line of business?"
2. Talking about the Other Person» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
People love to talk about themselves and are happy to respond to any question you ask about them.
At a party: "That's an interesting emblem on your jacket. What does it stand for?"
At a golf course: "You've got a great swing. How did you perfect it?"
At a meeting: "I notice you voted for a redevelopment of the park. In what way do you think the park could be improved?"
At the beach: "I see you belong to the Livesaving club. How does someone get started in that?"
3. Talking About Yourself» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
The rule here is simple - unless someone asks you a question about yourself, your family, your possessions or your occupation, they're simply not interested. When starting a conversation, never volunteer information about yourself unless someone asks.
Source : People Skills For Life EASY PEASEY by Allan & Barbara Pease [Page 31]This post has been edited by clayton-chew: Jul 25 2009, 02:56 AM