[QUOTE=recycled sixtie;10200682]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baz
Some good comments here.
I think it's a significant thing - to be able to talk with people...carry on a conversation.
What kills me is when you're standing in line at a store and no one is even attempting to carry on a conversation with anyone else....instead they just stand there....impatiently waiting for their turn at the register.
My wife and I can start a conversation with just about anybody. I was by myself in a lineup the other day behind an Asian lady. I thought she was about 25. She had a carton of eggs and when she came to pay I said to the cashier I would pay for them. She turned around and she appeared to be about 55. She declined my offer and thanked me anyway. At least I tried and was pleasant to her.
Life is too short to be unfriendly.  |
Good for you, Guy.
Along those lines, I'll buy a candy bar along with my stuff and hand it to the cashier - or offer her/him one of my bananas (no jokes please) or something like that. The cashiers are the ones who typically get no respect. Most people think of them as just workers. I see it and cut through it. They are human - not machinery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by da Vinci Dan
I’m in sales too and am bored to death of meaningless talk. I think of conversation as more of a game. It gets more fun the more personal it becomes. I try to cut through the crap and connect on a meaningful level quickly.
Case in point: This morning a lady at the front desk I was checking into (operating room) had a protein shake container, obviously from home and part of a diet. I opened up and was transparent about my weight loss challenges and asked if she liked the shake. We had a great talk... Much more enjoyable than BS.
If your talking just to talk and be in a “conversation” I bores me. Talk about something personal, be transparent and confident and I’m all in.
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I agree and that's really the essence of it. Don't talk just to talk. Get something out of it and provide your counterpart with something also. A compliment is a good start. Sometimes in a grocery line I will ask them how they like that particular brand of "whatever". Most people like to cook and will gladly exchange conversation on that topic alone.
"Do you make your own cocktail sauce?" "Why yes I do...I mix yada yada yada...."