Small Talk: Keeping the Conversation Going

You're at your in-law's house, or the home of a friend of a friend. You want to be a great guest, but after 10 minutes, you have nothing to say. You'll be there for another 24 hours, so what can you do? The secret is to be a wonderful listener, and keep the host talking!

Here are 2.5 ways to keep talking - and maybe make a friendship stronger.

Ask your host about his hobbies. Decide you will learn 3 things about his hobby, whatever it is. (It might come in handy some day to know this information.) When your host stops talking, say "tell me more about ___",  or "that ___ sounds  fascinating!"  and nod appreciatively.

Ask follow-up questions. For example, "You said that you enjoy ___. How did you get into it/learn so much about it/find the time to do it?" You can also ask questions about the gear needed to do the hobby, or his favorite publications on this hobby. (This information may be useful if you buy him a gift later on.)

The .5 method is to use interjections liberally, complete with great eye contact and slightly leaning forward. Interjections are comments such as "mmm-hmm",  "wow, that's impressive!", "you don't say!" and "really?" With a great start to the conversation and a talkative host, this technique can keep a conversation going for a long time!

Business Speech Improvement offers more conversational tips for the conversationally-challenged  in the e-book Small Talk: Connecting with Others.

ADHD in the Workplace and Communication Challenges

Do you struggle with ADHD at work and notice you have some communication challenges, or do you have employees with ADHD?

Here are some common challenges relating to communication experienced by adults (including professionals) who have ADHD.

The first is impaired executive functioning: the ability to plan and implement actions. This ability, found in the frontal lobe, allows people to prioritize and

handle complex actions, such as scheduling and much more. More information can be found at http://www.help4adhd.org/living/workplace/wwk16.

Corporate speech pathologists and others now work with people who have difficulty with executive functioning. For example, if getting out of the house on time is the issue, clients can be taught how to develop a more effective schedule and consider the most common reasons they can side-tracked or delayed.

Distractibility, due to noises or visual stimuli, is another issue, and can affect planning and implementing. What distractions can you eliminate or cover up, with a white noise machine or headphones, for example?

Speech rates can be rapid in some people, to the point where others have difficulty understanding them. Some medications also increase speech rate as a side effect, so if your speech rate changes significantly during the day, check the side effects of any medication you are on. If you think the medication is causing the rapid rate of speech, talk to your physician.

Other speech and language issues may co-exist, but not be directly caused by ADHD. For example, central auditory processing impairments may  make understanding messages more difficult even though there is no hearing loss.

Pragmatics, or social language skills, such as knowing how to engage in small talk, start a conversation or end one, may also be difficult for some people.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive, customized coaching  on communication improvement in the workplace. E-books are available as well. Great speech makes business sense!

Job/school interviews and your communication skills

It's that time of year again, and many people are interviewing for jobs. New grads, experienced managers, and many others are hoping to find a great position - and they know their communication skills count. In fact, "excellent verbal communication skills needed" appears on many job descriptions. Most likely, you already know about having great eye contact and a firm handshake. The part that likely worries you is answering the questions. Start by searching online for lists of questions often asked of people in your industry, or going to your type of college or grad school program. Then try to answer the most common questions, and record yourself. For starters, answer these 5 questions: 1. Why do you want to work for our company/go to our school? (This is a trick question to make sure you know enough about the company or school to have an intelligent answer. Make sure that you have researched the company/program thoroughly.) 2. Why do you think you would be a great fit for this company/program? (Start by researching the program's or company's mission statement, and think of 1-2 examples of when you have done something similar.) 3. What are your strengths? (Think ahead of 3-4 specific strengths that would help this organization. Team-work and communication skills fit into any scenario.) 4. What are your weaknesses? (Choose minor weaknesses, and stress how you are working to improve them.) 5.Do you have any questions for us? (After studying the information about the company online, think of 2 intelligent questions. One quesiton might be to ask the company representative about they would describe their ideal candidate for the job or program. Do NOT ask about salary, pay grade, when you would be paid, or anything similar. Focus on how you can give to the company, not how much you will get!) At the end, if the company rep does not mention it, stress that you are very interested in the job and ask when you might expect to hear from the company. Set yourself apart from the rest and write a thank-you note! Interviewers receive these very rarely, and appreciate your effort. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching in many aspects of verbal communication. Individual coaching on preparing for job interviews is available on request.

doing well in college

Many high school seniors at this time of year have received acceptance letters, and some know where they plan to go. Their parents, however, are looking further ahead. "Will my child know enough about general life skills to do well in college?" is what concerns them. The Portable Parent
(www.portableparent.com) is a unique e-book that provides parents a way to add their own unique wisdom to a pre-written text about more than 20 topics relevant to new college students.
Students upload the book and can access it when they are ready for the information - even if it's 2 AM. "Instant info, with a parent's insight, 24/7".