Three Tips for How to be a Better Conversationalist

Why People Run Away from You in a Conversation

Have you ever had a conversation in which you knew, within seconds, that you might need to start planning your exit strategy? Maybe this little article and the three tips for holding a conversation will help those who are "conversationally challenged" to understand some of the what they are doing, and put them on a path to mending their ways. Pray that some of the people you run into next week read this and understand some of these simple principles of conducting a conversation before you run into them.

Don't Stand So Close To Me - We each have our own personal space, and when you break into that space, you are making them silently cringe, or even worse, sending them the wrong signals.

There are significant cultural differences in what accounts for "personal space. In some cultures, especially for people from Asian countries with their much-higher population densities, "personal space" has a completely different meaning.

But here in the good old US of A, there is "Big Sky Country" and a state with the motto "Live Free, Or Die" and there is a REASON those mottos exist. Americans in general value their space - and will protect it from intrusion.

Whatever you do, do NOT touch another person in an inappropriate way. For instance, a simple touch to the forearm breaks barriers - grabbing their upper arm sends a signal of aggression.

So give me some space, Mack!

Listen Up! - If you ask a question, listen to the answers! There is a big difference between the sexes on this one, but here is a clue for women on listening to men, and another clue for men listening to women.

Men, in general, are quite literal. They say exactly what they mean to say. They do not tend to analyze any emotional charge of what they are about to say. If a guy stumbles and fumbles with an answer, it means one of two things - he doesn't know and is about to "reach" for an answer; or, there IS an emotional charge to the response and he is having difficulty putting it into words.