Someone who is chatty talks a lot in a friendly, informal way. Collins dictionary
Top ten tips to be a conversationalist
Some people have the gift of the gab when it comes to striking up a conversation or holding one; while others will shy away and join in when the moment arises. Anyone can learn to participate more in conversations; it’s all about having the confidence and right skills.
Fact gathering: Look up interesting facts before you go to a social event, so if the conversation goes dry you can say did you know…
Topics: Learn which topics to talk about in the right situation. Politics can be intense and not appropriate with strangers, while a conversation about last nights tv is light and easy to follow.
Anxiety: Striking up a conversation with a stranger can be daunting, but if you are at an event and need to make a connection, it is essential. To overcome anxiety, use a starter topic, like the weather.
Debating: To truly hold a conversation, you need to debate for and against the subject. Learning critical thinking will teach you to play devil’s advocate and have an interesting discussion by seeing both sides of the argument to strengthen your opinion.
Tone: A particular tone can make for a more engaging conversation. Too cynical can draw a conversation to a halt, while being too chirpy can come across as annoying and fake. It’s about having a balance between the two, and factual information will help.
Manners: Goes a long way when trying to interact with someone, be polite and allow the other person to speak without interrupting them.
Body language: Learn to read peoples body language to gauge if what you are talking about is interesting. Usual signs include yawning, making weak excuses to leave the conversation or changing the topic. Gesturers speak volumes when talking to someone and having a friendly open discussion will help. Don’t cross your arms, because this can come across as negative; instead, use your hands to animate the conversation.
Listen: Some people don’t listen when others are talking to them and end up starting a new topic half-way through the conversation. To avoid this, take part of what they have said and use it in a new sentence.
Stagnate: If the conversation doesn’t flow, ask the person questions about themselves, then choose a topic from what you have gaged about them.
Adaptable: A skilled conversationalist can talk about anything; you need to dig into your brains archives and pick out the gems while chatting.
Learning how to hold a conversation takes practice, and the above skills will enable you to talk to others effectively. Being actively involved in a conversation has benefits, you make a new friend, but you can also learn something you didn’t know before. The key to being interested in subjects that bore you is to find a silver lining within the topic. Something that makes you think of a memory or something you know; you can turn the conversation into a prosperous one. Being sociable doesn’t have to be hard, and through practice, it can be rewarding.
I am challenging myself to write a 500-word post a day for 30 days. I will choose a random word from the dictionary and to make this challenge more complicated; I will use the same word to create posts on Twitter and Instagram. I will create a haiku for twitter and post a photo on Instagram. If the word I choose is too obscure to make a post, I will choose another word..