Talking point: The art of communication

This week's talking point is the art of communication. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

Do you know anyone who is a good listener?
Do you remember an occasion when there was an awkward silence in the conversation?
Can you think of situations in which you have misunderstood someone or someone has misunderstood you?
How easy or difficult do you find it to make small talk (polite conversation about unimportant things)?
When did you last hit it off with someone? (like each other from the very beginning)
Do you remember an occasion when you put your foot in it (accidentally do or say something which embarrasses or offends people)?
Do you know anyone who tends to dominate the conversation?
Are you good at putting people at ease (make someone feel relaxed and confident)? If so, how do you do it?
Who in your family is good at telling interesting stories in family reunions?
When did you last have a row?
Do you know anyone who has a pleasant/unpleasant voice?
Do you ever talk to yourself?
Do you dread going to places where you don’t know many people?
Is how you say something as important as what you say?
Is gossip always harmful?
Do you think a person should never raise their voice during a discussion?
To what extent is technology having a negative effect on the quality of conversation?

What advice would you give a visitor to your country about the following:
- personal space?
- common gestures?
- interrupting?
- making eye contact?
- conversation topics to avoid?

To illustrate the topic, you can watch Julian Treasure's talk at TED How to speak so that people want to listen.

You can read the transcript here.

Extensive listening: Why you should talk to strangers

"When you talk to strangers, you're making beautiful interruptions into the expected narrative of your daily life — and theirs," says Kio Stark.

In this delightful talk, Stark explores the overlooked benefits of pushing past our default discomfort when it comes to strangers and embracing those fleeting but profoundly beautiful moments of genuine connection.

You can read the transcript for the talk here.

Talking point: Talking

This week's talking point is talking. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas come to mind more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

Do/did you talk a lot at school/university?
Do you talk a lot when you are with your friends?
And what about with your family?
Do you think you should change anything about the way you talk (e.g. talk more, talk less, more loudly, more quietly, pay more attention)? Why (not)?
When was the last time you were in the following situations?

a face-to-face conversation
expressing your feelings
at a job interview
telling a joke
speaking in public
giving opinions
socialiasing with friends
talking on the phone
talking to someone from a different country
speaking English
talking to older/younger people

What of the situations above do you enjoy the most/least?

Do you have any difficulties communicating with people of a different generation from yours?
If so, which difficulties do you face?
What topics you feel more comfortable talking about?
What topics do you usually avoid?
Are there any taboo topics in your family or in your group of friends?
Do you ever gossip?

To illustrate the topic, you can watch the video The Art of Conversation.

Extensive listening: 10 ways to have a better conversation

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening.

In this insightful TED talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. "Go out, talk to people, listen to people," she says. "And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed."

You can read the transcript here.