3 Tips for Talking to a Brick
Have you ever been in a situation where you are somehow mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the effort it takes to continue a conversation?
Not everyone has the gift of conversing easily nor are all people blessed with an engaging personality. Yet, here we are. Forced by professional obligation or poorly matched blind date to strike up small talk with people whose personalities rival the interest level of a brick wall.
Never fear -you social butterfly or homebody hermit- I’ve got 3 conversation strategies for you to throw at that wall! One of them is bound to stick.
Ask open ended questions- Remember that even the most reluctant people actually walk to talk about themselves. If someone is building up their wall, you simply haven’t inquired correctly. Open-ended questions force people to reply with more than one syllable and offer up details from which you can go all Wreck-It Ralph on ‘em (in a nice way).
Treat them like an expert- Everyone is an expert on something… at least they probably think they are. Play the student by asking for advice, troubleshooting ideas, or exploring their expansive wealth of knowledge.
Use humor (maybe)- Don’t discount the amount of skill it takes to properly use humor as a demolition strategy! A well timed joke may loosen things up but an awkward fringe reference can pack the bricks tighter and tighter. I invite all of you to take an honest personal inventor. Ask yourself (or a friend) if your sense of humor is fit for the masses. If not, I kindly refer you back to strategies 1 & 2.
Years of lifeguarding, waitressing, sales associate-ing, and business owning have provided me many opportunities to converse with folks I would otherwise avoid at all costs. But you can’t run forever. One day there will be a brick wall standing tall in front of you.
That’s when you have to make a choice: Turn & walk or WRECK IT!
