12 Conversation Skills for Success by Success Common Sense blog
Do you need a quick review of conversation etiquette? While most of us think we know how to carry on a conversation, you may have forgotten a few things, like let the other person finishing talking before speaking. Sounds simple, but it is not easy to “listen†to someone else, as we restrain ourselves from talking over friends, coworkers, or strangers. Bud Bilanich from the Success Common Sense blog provides twelve tips for good conversation etiquette:
- Be honest
- Be humble
- Be courteous
- Look at the person with whom you’re having a conversation
- Use a person’s name when you are in conversation
- Let people finish what they are saying
- Keep your cool
- Be responsible for yourself
- Build and nurture relationships with other people
- Work hard at relating to all kinds of people
- Listen well and demonstrate your point of view
- Be receptive to feedback
My favorite? “Work hard at relating to all kinds of people.†To us, this also covers cross-cultural communications. Picture this, a Caucasian person and an Alaska Native person have a conversation; it goes sideways since the Caucasian person talks fast at 120 miles per hour as the Alaska Native is patient and deliberate, processing everything the Caucasian is saying, but at 70 mile per hour. Recommendation? Slow down speedy person, take a breath, and match the pace of the other person, enjoying the slower pace of the conversational moment.
Recommended Reading List
- Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work by Jacqueline Whitmore
- Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures by Brooks Peterson
- Straight Talk for Success by Bud Bilanich
- Solving Performance Problems…A Leader’s Toolkit by Bud Bilanich
- Using Values to Turn Vision into Reality by Bud Bilanich
- Fixing Performance Problems: Common Sense Ideas That Work by Bud Bilanich
Very straight to the point! I love this post! No need to decipher any hidden message. Keep posting!