Do you want to have great conversations when you are at a networking event, conference, gala dinner, product launch or would you like to improve your conversational skills to enhance your sales activities or connectivity with team members? Our latest blog is all about the art of good conversations, we hope that you find this article interesting and useful in your professional and everyday life.
Good conversations are a balance of listening and talking!
Conversational competence is a must have for any event professional, it allows us to have coherent conversations…… but event professionals are not the only people who need this skill, we all do! It’s extremely important that we all know how to talk and how to listen.
Think you are a good listener? Do you:
- Look the person in the eye when they are talking?
- Have open body language?
- Nod and smile to reassure the speaker you are listening?
- Repeat back or summarise what you just heard?
Answer yes to any of the above? Guess what – there is no need to show you are listening if you are in fact paying attention!
So what does a good conversation look like? All conversations should have you walking away feeling:
- Good and inspired
- That you have made a real connection
- You have been understood
How do you have a better conversation? Here are our top 8 tips to help you up your conversation game.
Be Present
It is crucial to be present and in the moment when you are in a conversation. Don’t be half in and half out, if you don’t want to be in the conversation get out of it.
Learn
Don’t pontificate; enter every conversation assuming you have something to learn. True listening requires you to set yourself aside and be open to what the speaker is saying.
Remember everyone you meet knows something you don’t, and everyone is an expert in something. Imagine all the things you can learn from every conversation you have!
Open Ended Questions
Get more interesting responses by starting your questions with who/what/where/how or why, this allows the speaker to describe rather than just answer with a simple reply.
Let It Go!
When having a conversation thoughts, stories and ideas will inevitably come into your mind, you need to be able to let them go out of your mind as freely as they entered. Holding thoughts will stop you from you listening and paying attention.
If You Don’t Know, Say You Don’t Know
Talk should not be cheap, it is imperative that when you don’t know you say so. Be careful what you claim to be an expert on and what you know for sure.
Keep To The Point
When engaging in a conversation remember to keep to the point and be relevant, the broader details or insignificant information can be left out.
Listen
Listening is the most important skill we can all develop. When we really listen, we can learn and discover amazing things about people.
‘Listen with the intent to understand and not with the intent to reply’ Stephen Covey.
Be Brief
A good conversation should be short enough to retain interest, but long enough to cover the subject.
So, what now? Go out and have awesome conversations but remember to:
- Keep your mouth shut as often as you can
- Be open minded, and
- Be prepared to be amazed
#events #eventprof #weloveevents #eventsadelaide #eventssydney #eventsmelbourne #betterconversations #networkbetter
At Eventful Projects, every day we partner with clients to design, manage and deliver extraordinary events that captivate audiences to:
- Promote brands and strengthen brand loyalty
- Engage with key audiences to convey key messaging
- Motivate and inspire to enact call to actions
Interested to learn more or partner with Eventful Projects? Contact Vicky at vicky@eventfulprojects.com.au or 08 7071 1010 to see how we can put our magic into your business!
