WEBVTT - Have something to say

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to think ahead of time about conversations

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<v Speaker 1>you are likely to have and consider what you might

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<v Speaker 1>like to say. We can often anticipate the questions people

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<v Speaker 1>might ask. Having a good story or answer in advance

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<v Speaker 1>can make you feel more relaxed in the moment and

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<v Speaker 1>can help you enjoy any event more. If you think

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<v Speaker 1>about it, you realize that at any gathering, the opening

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<v Speaker 1>questions will be relatively predictable. If you are headed to

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<v Speaker 1>a class reunion, you know your classmates will ask what

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<v Speaker 1>you're up to these days. The other parents set back

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<v Speaker 1>to school night, we'll ask how school is going for

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<v Speaker 1>your child. Most likely the icebreaker at a meeting right

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<v Speaker 1>around Thanksgiving, we'll have something to do with what you

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<v Speaker 1>are grateful for. If you are going to a colleague's

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<v Speaker 1>going away party, you will be asked for stories about

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<v Speaker 1>your time together. If you are going to a wedding,

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<v Speaker 1>you will be asked how you know the bride or

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<v Speaker 1>groom or their families. These questions don't really require a

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<v Speaker 1>huge leap of imagination to picture, and yet many of

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<v Speaker 1>us stumble when we are asked these questions, Um, what

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<v Speaker 1>am I up to these days? I don't know school

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<v Speaker 1>is good this year? Or hmm stories about Joan That

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<v Speaker 1>awkwardness can be avoided by giving a moment's thought to

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<v Speaker 1>how you might respond to the questions you know you

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be asked. You don't need a whole

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<v Speaker 1>l of leader speech, but picking some detail that you

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<v Speaker 1>will be happy to talk about can go a long

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<v Speaker 1>way toward making the whole experience more fruitful. So if

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<v Speaker 1>you are on your way to a reunion, you might

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<v Speaker 1>decide that whenever somebody asks you will mention that you

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<v Speaker 1>started a side gig as a professional organizer after your

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<v Speaker 1>last kid left for college. Or if you are in

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<v Speaker 1>the stage of life where you are still doing back

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<v Speaker 1>to school nights, maybe you can answer how much your

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<v Speaker 1>son is enjoying playing trumpet in band. You can pick

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<v Speaker 1>one socially acceptable thing to tell your colleagues you are

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<v Speaker 1>grateful for, like seeing their smiling faces in the break

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<v Speaker 1>room again after a long time of social distancing. If

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<v Speaker 1>you will be interacting with someone who may be slower

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<v Speaker 1>to engage, it can be especially valuable to consider how

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<v Speaker 1>you could spark conversation. For instance, if you are visiting

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<v Speaker 1>a quiet elderly relative, think about family stories or photos

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to share, or topics you'd like to ask

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<v Speaker 1>your relative about. Of course, there are lots of social

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<v Speaker 1>context when you can't predict the conversation. Who knows what

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<v Speaker 1>topics will come up at the cocktail party or a

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<v Speaker 1>neighborhood barbecue. But you can still have some ideas for

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<v Speaker 1>interesting directions to steer the conversation. Perhaps you can mention

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<v Speaker 1>a book you've recently read that you think others would

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<v Speaker 1>be interested in, an upcoming travel destination, that people might

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<v Speaker 1>have recommendations for a milestone in a child's life. You'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to talk about your hopes for the local sports

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<v Speaker 1>team now that a strong new player has joined the ranks.

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<v Speaker 1>These are all upbeat conversations of broad interest. Consider what

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<v Speaker 1>has made you happy, curious, or hopeful recently, and be

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<v Speaker 1>ready to share it with others. When we think about

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<v Speaker 1>conversations in advance, we can alleviate any anxiety and prepare

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<v Speaker 1>ourselves to move the conversation in interesting, relationship building or

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<v Speaker 1>productive directions. That certainly beats the awkwardness that ensues when

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<v Speaker 1>we don't think about such things. Maybe some folks are

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<v Speaker 1>naturally great conversationalists, many of us are not. Fortunately, it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't take too much time to prepare, and when we

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<v Speaker 1>do prepare, we can relax and enjoy ourselves rather than

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<v Speaker 1>worrying that we will say the wrong thing. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. M Hey everybody, I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E

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<v Speaker 1>the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.