From the course: Communication Foundations (2018)

Tool kit: Social settings

From the course: Communication Foundations (2018)

Tool kit: Social settings

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- Let's begin with what I call neutral context drills. Next time you're traveling through an airport, you want to find someone sitting close by with whom you share something in common. Maybe it's the same briefcase, it's a sports team logo, or the same watch. If appropriate, make eye contact and give a greeting. Make a comment about the item you have in common. Your goal is to use the common item to create rapport. If the person is responding positively, continue the conversation about the common item, and then switch to another open-ended question. See if you can maintain the conversation for two to three minutes. Now, practice this drill each time you travel, or when you are in a social setting. Let's move on to workplace context drills. Go to your next meeting, committed to ignoring your phone or tablet, or other electronics, and instead, tune into the people. Make a point to ask an open-ended question to the person to your right. Do this for three consecutive meetings. Keep the conversation light. Ask open-ended questions and encourage the other person to talk. Practice your open gestures, stance and non-verbals. Practice your listening interjections, those ahas and yeah, and stay attentive with your eyes. Finally, we'll focus on drills you can use in other professional contexts. At the next professional conference or meeting you attend, find three people you haven't met before and try to connect with them. At first, comment on the environment, maybe the keynote speaker, or the news piece related to your industry. Follow up with open-ended questions about them or their work. Practice repeating their names a few times or ask them something about their name. Think of a visual, a verbal reminder to help you retain that name. After your conversation, make a note in your context so you can follow up with them later. If you are watching this and you were born after the mid 1990s, you might feel more proficient with electronic communication than with those face-to-face dealings, but being comfortable in social settings takes practice. Use these drills to build new communication habits that will propel you in the workplace.

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