District Conference Keynote Speaker Debra Fine (above)
The Fine Art of Small Talk
Little tips yielding big results! Our third test at Rotary is “to build goodwill and better friendships.” To that end, the District presented the noted author and motivational speaker, Debra Fine:
“Small talk is an opportunity to meet someone new or get
to know someone better. Think of the close relationships
in your life, they probably started with small talk,” says Debra.
“I like to think of every conversation as an opportunity, but approach it
without an agenda. You might even find that
approaching a conversation without expecting anything in particular can help you relax and enjoy yourself.
A lot of times, especially in North America, we speak in rhetorical
questions. ‘How are you?’ just means ‘Hello.’ So it’s important to dig in deeper and let people know that you’re genuine. For example, if you run into someone at the grocery store you haven’t seen in a while, the conversation may go, ‘How was your summer?’ ‘Good!’
they say. Now it’s time to dig in deeper: ‘What was one of the highlights?’”
Asking follow-up questions not only shows that you’re interested in what
the person has to say, but that you’re listening to them, too.”
Helpful advice. For more from Debra, check out her book “The Fine Art of Small Talk.”
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