How confident and comfortable are you, engaging people in conversation?

Many people have asked me recently about how to initiate and engage in conversation. In fact, over the past year, this has been one of the most popular questions!

Here are some of the ways it shows up:

• How to open the conversation
• How to break the ice
• Knowing what to say
• How to cut into a conversation
• How to find out what people want to hear from me or what questions I should ask them
• Getting to know people
• Finding the confidence to initiate a conversation

Sound familiar?

Since it seems to be a common concern and question for many people, here's a short but powerful exercise for those who are really serious about tackling this question.

This exercise may seem easy or even superficial, but it's not.

The questions I'm asking here are not trivial -- the more thought and effort you put into doing this exercise, the more you will get out of it.

So here it is:

PART 1: Gather "data"

For the next 7 days, keep an eye out for the following situations each day:

• When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a "stranger" (i.e. someone you didn't know)?
• What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
• What led you to initiate the co
  Successful Fundraising
  School budgets are short. Cities even need help. On top of that, there are all sorts of organizations that are looking to make some extra money to help fund them. Fundraising is the perfect thing to do just that. If you are looking for some remarkable method of fundraising to turn your school or organization around, there are plenty to choose from, but they may not all be remark
  rong>Here are some of the ways it shows up:
  • How to open the conversation
  • How to break the ice
  • Knowing what to say
  • How to cut into a conversation
  • How to find out what people want to hear from me or what questions I should ask them
  • Getting to know people
  • Finding the confidence to initiate a conversation
  And so on...

  Sound familiar?

  Since it seems to be a common concern and question for many people, here's a short but powerful exercise for those who are really serious about tackling this question.

  This exercise may seem easy or even superficial, but it's not.

  The questions I'm asking here are not trivial -- the more thought and effort you put into doing this exercise, the more you will get out of it.

  So here it is:

  PART 1: Gather "data"

  For the next 7 days, keep an eye out for the following situations each day:

  • When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a "stranger" (i.e. someone you didn't know)?
  • What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
  • What led you to initiate the c
    How to Start a Franchise
    Franchising InformationFranchise oppotunities are all around us today. You may pop into Starbucks for coffee and then head for lunch at MacDonalds before returning home and ordering your dinner from another local franchise, Pizza Hut. Many of the most popular outlets you visit may be franchises as they offer the security of a brand name and the attraction of starting you
    to know people
  • Finding the confidence to initiate a conversation
  And so on...

  Sound familiar?

  Since it seems to be a common concern and question for many people, here's a short but powerful exercise for those who are really serious about tackling this question.

  This exercise may seem easy or even superficial, but it's not.

  The questions I'm asking here are not trivial -- the more thought and effort you put into doing this exercise, the more you will get out of it.

  So here it is:

  PART 1: Gather "data"

  For the next 7 days, keep an eye out for the following situations each day:

  • When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a "stranger" (i.e. someone you didn't know)?
  • What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
  • What led you to initiate the c
    Internationalization Localization
    Internationalization is actually localization on a large scale. While localization means to adapt a particular service to be more accessible to a single foreign culture, internationalization means to make it accessible to almost any culture in the world. Actually, internationalization and globalization go hand in hand. Globalization is the expansion of an activity throughout the wor
    ercise may seem easy or even superficial, but it's not.

    The questions I'm asking here are not trivial -- the more thought and effort you put into doing this exercise, the more you will get out of it.

    So here it is:

    PART 1: Gather "data"

    For the next 7 days, keep an eye out for the following situations each day:

    • When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a "stranger" (i.e. someone you didn't know)?
    • What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
    • What led you to initiate the c
      Effective Resumes
      A resume is normally the first contact point between an employer and a job seeker. It serves the purpose of providing a summary of why a candidate is suitable for a job (cover-letter) and his relevant qualifications/experience.In this article, advice about creating effective cover letters will be provided and followed by the rest of the resume.An Effective Cover Letter
      t for the following situations each day:
      • When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a "stranger" (i.e. someone you didn't know)?
      • What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
      • What led you to initiate the conversation? For instance, did you need information (e.g. directions), were you curious about something, did you have information you wanted to offer the other person, etc.?
      • How did this feel conversation for you? (E.g. comfortable, awkward, neutral, etc.) Why is this?

      Jot down what you notice at the end of each day, so you can remember it.

      PART 2: Look at your "data"

      At the end of the week, look through your notes:

      • What patterns do you notice about when and how you initiate conversations?
      • What allows you to initiate conversations?
      • What specifically makes you to feel comfortable or uncomfortable in such conversations?
      • How are these situations similar or different from business networking conversations?

      PART 3: Action Plan

      Now use this information to your advantage.

      • What did you learn about yourself and how you engage in conversations with "strangers", from doing this exercise?
      • How will you use this information in the context of business networking?

      As I said, it can be a very powerful tool for you, if you do actually do this exercise.

      So if this topic is of importance to you, invest the time to do this ser