7 Tips for Making Good Conversation With a Stranger

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	7 Tips for Making Good Conversation With a Stranger

deusdiabolus

5-26-2009 2:04 AM

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/fb8e41ac-51e1-4ff9-8c4f-9d06528c14e2/92F7D4C9-FED1-429F-9331-19C44AFB6E52/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx" href="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx" style="font-size: 11px;">slate.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">Making polite conversation can be tough.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">Here are some strategies to try when your mind is a blank:</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">1. <STRONG>Comment on a topic common to both of you at the moment</STRONG></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx"> But <A href="http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2006/04/my_attempts_to_.html">keep it on the positive side</A>! </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">2.<STRONG> Comment on a topic of general interest</STRONG>.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">3. <STRONG>Ask open questions that can’t be answered with a single word</STRONG>. </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">4. If you do ask a question that can be answered in a single word, instead of just supplying your own information in response, <STRONG>ask a follow-up question</STRONG>.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">5. <STRONG>Ask getting-to-know-you questions</STRONG>.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">6. <STRONG>React to what a person says</STRONG> in the spirit in which that that comment was offered.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">Now, what to do if a conversation is just not working, and there’s no way to use the “Excuse me, I need to go get something to drink” line?</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/05/20/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.aspx">7. A friend argues that you should <STRONG>admit it</STRONG>! “We’re really working hard, aren’t we?” or “It’s frustrating—I’m sure we have interests in common, but we’re having a difficult time finding them.”</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/92F7D4C9-FED1-429F-9331-19C44AFB6E52/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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