Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 2: Today's tip is to become a confident conversationalist. If you
Speaker 2: feel shy or awkward striking up conversations or chatting with colleagues,
Speaker 2: let this be the year when you build your skills
Speaker 2: so you can feel great about your interactions. During my
Speaker 2: recent Better Workday challenge, lots of participants mentioned that they
Speaker 2: sometimes felt uncomfortable striking up conversations with their colleagues. It
Speaker 2: felt easier to just keep their heads down and communicate electronically.
Speaker 2: So if you feel a little self conscious about chitchat,
Speaker 2: know that you are not alone. But if you are
Speaker 2: not developing relationships with people at work, I'd be missing out.
Speaker 2: Connecting with your colleagues can make you more effective at
Speaker 2: your job, and it can also help you feel happier
Speaker 2: and more comfortable at work. So if you are feeling
Speaker 2: uncomfortable or shy about connecting, here are some tips. First,
Speaker 2: friendly questions are conversational openers. Asking someone something that invites
Speaker 2: authentic sharing but isn't invasive is likely to start a
Speaker 2: positive conversation, So always have some light questions ready. For instance,
Speaker 2: on a Friday, you could ask people what they are
Speaker 2: looking forward to over the weekend. On Monday, you could
Speaker 2: ask if they did anything exciting or fun or memorable.
Speaker 2: On any day, you could ask someone about their interests.
Speaker 2: If you know your colleague likes to read, you could
Speaker 2: ask her what she's reading now. If you know a
Speaker 2: colleague likes to go out to restaurants with her daughter,
Speaker 2: you could ask what they've tried recently. There's a reason
Speaker 2: people bond over sports. There are lots of games, and
Speaker 2: they always provide an opening for conversation. Did you see
Speaker 2: the Grizzlies game last night?
Speaker 1: That sort of thing. Of course, it's also helpful to
Speaker 1: have something ready to share. If someone asks you what
Speaker 1: you've been up to lately, aim to choose something positive,
Speaker 1: even if you have been dealing with an insurance claim
Speaker 1: for a tree that fell on your roof. Talking about
Speaker 1: that probably won't lift either of your moods, though, if
Speaker 1: you've got a funny anecdote about the process, you could
Speaker 1: tell that. In addition to choosing a topic that's upbeat,
Speaker 1: also aim for something that gives a window into what's
Speaker 1: important to you, as in, I've been loving this mild
Speaker 1: weather and I've gotten back into cycling lately. Or I'm
Speaker 1: helping my neighbor get ready for her new baby. Last
Speaker 1: weekend i helped her paint the nursery, or I've been
Speaker 1: learning Spanish lately to get ready for a trip to
Speaker 1: Buenos Aires this spring. This will give any colleague with
Speaker 1: reasonable social skills an opening to ask you more about
Speaker 1: these topics. As you both share what you are excited about,
Speaker 1: you'll be sure to find common ground. In addition to
Speaker 1: in person chitchat, also try to build in connection when
Speaker 1: you're communicating across distance. One option could be sending a
Speaker 1: message on za zoom call to a person who you
Speaker 1: feel has a little bit of friend potential just notice things.
Speaker 1: You could write something like I love that painting behind you.
Speaker 1: Is there a story behind it? It can also be
Speaker 1: good to include a sentence in emails that's more personal
Speaker 1: before you get to the main business of the message,
Speaker 1: so something like I hope you enjoyed the long weekend.
Speaker 1: I was grateful for the extra time to plan my
Speaker 1: garden this spring. You don't want to make your email
Speaker 1: ridiculously long, but offering a little tidbit about yourself can
Speaker 1: foster a greater sense of connection. If connecting with colleagues
Speaker 1: still seems intimidating, you could seek out more structure and
Speaker 1: guidance for your efforts to become a good conversationalist. Some
Speaker 1: people find it helpful to participate in toast Masters or
Speaker 1: a similar group that's all about building and practicing or
Speaker 1: speaking skills in a friendly environment. In any case, since
Speaker 1: we all have to talk to people all the time,
Speaker 1: you'd think we could do it well, but that is
Speaker 1: not always true. Conversation is a skill like anything else.
Speaker 1: Some people are naturally better at it than others, but
Speaker 1: we can all get better, and getting better can make
Speaker 1: work feel more welcoming and fun. In the meantime, this
Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.