Mastering the Art of Conversation 1. Make eye contact ■ Give a 【T1】______ smiling look 【T1】______ ■ Avoid for

Mastering the Art of Conversation
Good morning, guys. Today’s topic is a practical one: how to master the art of conversation? Some of us are naturally outgoing, and it’s part of our personality; for others, it is simply painful and struggling to keep a conversation going on. Actually, making and promoting conversations is a skill that could be learned through practice. Here are some useful tips to start with.
First, make eye contact. If you’re in a social situation, such as at a party, try to make eye contact with the other people. Once you’ve established eye contact, give the other person a friendly, smiling look. If the other person holds your gaze, go over to them. Double points if they smile back! If they don’t respond, let them go their way. There’s a difference between being "outgoing" and "pushy." You don’t want to force interaction on someone who isn’t interested.
This approach doesn’t work well in situations where others do not commonly expect to be approached, such as while riding public transit. Part of being outgoing is knowing when and where to approach others and when to keep to yourself.
Second, ask open-ended questions. One way to be more outgoing in your conversations with others is to ask them open-ended questions. These questions invite others to respond with more than a "yes" or "no." It’s easier to start up a chat with someone new if you encourage them to share about themselves. If you’ve already exchanged eye contact and smiles with someone, and you’re close by, start off with a question. Here are some ideas:
How do you like that book or magazine?
What is your favorite thing to do around here?
Where did you find that awesome t-shirt?
Third, search for a commonality. First conversations between people are all about what the two parties mesh on. In order to find out what you can talk about, you have to probe for things you have in common. If you work together or have mutual friends or have anything that links you together, problem solved. Talking about the boss or your friend Susan or that cooking class will open up further topics of discussion.
If this person is a stranger, you could start with the scenario. For example, if you’re in a book store, you could ask the other person for a favorite reading recommendation. If you’re both stuck in a long line, you could make a joke about it.
Offer a compliment, but be careful to avoid things that sound judgmental. For example, you could say you love the person’s haircut and then ask where she/he got it done. Or you could say that you’ve been looking for a pair of sneakers like the ones the other person’s wearing forever, and ask where she/he got them. Avoid things that are likely to seem offensive, such as comments on the person’s size, skin color, or physical attractiveness.
Feel free to try as hard as you want and enjoy becoming talkative and outgoing. However, always keep in mind that there is definitely nothing wrong with being an introvert and being shy.