ask questions?
When I meet a new person I try not to talk too much. If I do I end up talking about myself and not really finding out about the person I have recently formed acquaintance with. This is a problem I see with a lot of people so I thought I would throw an alternative suggestion into the mix. You don’t build a connection by boasting about yourself. Being a listener is a great way to form stronger bonds with new people and this can be set as a strategy for building personal and/or professional relationships.
It is really easy to do but oddly enough it does take some practice. The trick of sparking conversation and keeping it going is by asking questions that will lead to more questions.
Here is a little secret. (pretend I am whispering). People love talking about themselves. As I mentioned earlier in this post I am no exception to that rule but to really impress someone, you should be on the listening side of the conversation. Everyone is doing the next big thing but what will really shock a new person is for you to want to know what they are doing and who they are.
Start out by asking a question that will get an answer you know will lead to another question (could be more detail or a tangent on the subject). Once you begin and the story gets more in depth it is easier to tangent into more questions towards the new person you are talking to. The new friend will really enjoy how much you are taking interest in them.
Side note: This is a great strategy to use on the women or men you are interested in too.
Once the conversation gets rolling, continuing to use this strategy will become easier and easier and you will be able to learn much more about the person you are meeting, build a beneficial relationship with them (business, social, or both), and you may just get a free drink out of it too.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
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