How to Structure an Interesting Conversation
- 1). Begin a conversation with a statement that is either applies to your present surroundings or is specific to a particular person. If you know the person with whom you are talking, you can introduce a conversation by asking about something that relates to that person. An example might include, "So how is your new job better or worse than your old one?" If you don't know the person very well, and are at the doctor's office, you can start with something like, "Have you been to this doctor before? I haven't and I was wondering if what his patient-interactions are like." If you notice someone reading a newspaper, you can comment on a story you read in the paper.
- 2). Listen attentively. Use positive body language, by making eye contact with the other person, nodding, and smiling occasionally. Even if you choose an interesting conversation topic, the other person won't be interested if you aren't a good listener.
- 3). Use specific questions and statements rather than vague ones. For example, asking "How is your new job better or worse than your old one?" is much more specific than "How's your new job?" Having specific conversation cues helps to structure more interesting dialogue that vague insertions.
- 4). Talk about familiar topics. You don't want to monopolize a conversation, but it's helpful to be able to insert some of your own personal experiences into the dialogue. Offering information about your own experiences will probably make the other person feel more at ease about sharing her experiences as well.
- 5). Direct the conversation toward a close in a polite manner if necessary. If both parties are enjoying the conversation enthusiastically and there are no time constraints, you may not need to do this. However, if you feel that the conversation has "played out," you can structure an end to the interaction by saying something like, "I have really enjoyed talking with you. I have to goright now, but thanks for talking!" You also might want to insert a future invitation if you wish, such as,"Maybe we can pick up where we left off next Tuesday when our class meets again."
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