Of all the skills that are required to survive in this world, the ability to have a conversation plays a vital role.
There are two sides of having a successful conversation - listening and speaking.
Here are a few tips to help you in having a conversation:
While Talking:
* The first rule of plain talk is to think before you say anything. Organise your thoughts.
* Say exactly what you mean.
* If you want something, ask for it. If you want someone to do something, say exactly what you want to be done.
* Confusion grows in direct proportion to the number of words used. Speak plainly and briefly, using the shortest, most familiar words.
* For maximum clarity, be natural and let the real you come through. You’ll be more convincing and much more comfortable.
When it's time to listen:
* If you don’t concentrate on listening, you won’t learn much, and you won’t remember much of what you do learn. Most of us retain only 25 percent of what we hear—so if you can increase your retention and your comprehension, you can increase your effectiveness.
* Face is an eloquent communication medium—learn to read its messages. While the speaker is delivering a verbal message, the face can be saying, 'I’m serious,' 'Just kidding,' 'It pains me to be telling you this,' or 'This gives me great pleasure'.
* It would be unwise to make a decision based solely on these visible signals. But they can give you valuable tips on the kind of questions to ask and the kind of answers to be alert for.
* People who are poor listeners will find few who are willing to come to them with useful information. Good listeners make it easy on those to whom they want to listen. They make it clear that they’re interested in what the other person has to say.
Courtesy: www.success.com
