10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation
By: Sumaiya Arif
Tags: Conversations

Conversation is an essential part of daily routine. It is in the nature of both humans and animals to communicate. Every single person has a unique way of expressing their feelings. Yet sometimes we feel uneasy interacting with each other or want to be compatible but end up being irrelevant.

“The right word at the right time will unlock the door to treasures. The wrong one will close it forever.” — Rasheed Ogunlaru

But don’t worry, here are 10 ways how you can have a better conversation.

1. Try to be Friendly while Talking

The listeners should feel safe around you. They must be comfortable around you while talking about things they don’t want to talk to others about. The least you can do for someone is to listen to them and let them talk openly without hesitation.

“Night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound.” — Beau Taplin

2. Stay on Point

Don’t jump from topic to topic or from a single topic to another branch of it. And don’t directly jump to the conclusion. It will confuse the listener. And your point will become difficult for them to understand. Try to explain step by step, point to point.

“Let the conversation flow at its own pace. Don’t try to rush it or control it. You need to let go or be a part of the conversation.” — Max Weiss

3. Don’t Exaggerate

Try to speak on the main points rather than telling every single small detail which can easily be ignored. Be relevant and specific with your answers. If it can be answered in a single sentence then go for it. Exaggerating things will bore the listeners and they will want you to finish it instead of listening. Unnecessary and small details become difficult to remember and less interesting.

4. Comfort with Your Gestures

Your body language speaks a lot more than you. The way you move your hands or feet while talking to someone explains whether you’re enjoying it or getting bored. Similarly, eye contact is also important. Your eyes are a reflection of your soul. If you’re telling the truth it’s better to look them in the eyes. Majority of people while telling lies avoid making eye contact. Avoiding eyes unaccountably will make you look less interested.

“A conversation is so much more than words, a conversation is eyes, smiles, the silences between the words.” — Annika Thor

5. Show them Interest

Try to react when they react, smile when they smile, laugh when it’s something funny. These are emotional interactions and they show your interest. Be present at the moment. Don’t divert your mind from thinking about other moments or things. If you don’t feel like having a conversation then don’t have it.

“I love when conversation and energies just flow. Not forced. Not coerced. Just present.” — Dav Voire

6. Listen Carefully

Let them speak. Don’t heckle in between. Let them finish what they want to tell. Sometimes the point is not clear until it reaches the end. Interrupting between results in misunderstandings and conflicts. Steven Covey said, “Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand. We listen with the intent to reply.”

7. Don’t Try to Relate Their Experiences with Yours

Everyone has different experiences and stories to tell. You can’t impose your experience or your opinions on them. Bill Nye says, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don’t.”

8. Avoid Focusing on Yourself

Focusing on yourself makes the listener feel that he/she is of no importance to you. Moreover, this attitude will make you sound egoist. And the conversation will become a one-sided, boring conversation.

9. Observe the Listener

What they want to listen to. What delights them? You meet people with multiple interests or very few interests. People with multiple interests probably have something in common and it is easier to talk with them. But with those who don’t have much to talk about, it is difficult to have a conversation. Therefore you just have to find that one thing, that one connection that helps you have a constructive conversation.

10. Try to be Tolerant

You meet different people every day with different mindsets and different perspectives. Be open-minded enough to accept the fact that people have a different point of view. Don’t impose your opinions on them forcefully. You should be humble and presumable enough to convince them to see through your notion.

“The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation, not overturning it.” –Edward G Bulwer-Lyttons

Conclusion

To sum up, there is no rocket science for having a better conversation. With the help of these points, you will be able to have a nice conversation. Just be yourself and enjoy the moment. A good conversation with the right person helps you build confidence, a good sense of humor, and makes you learn new things.