20 WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

BETTER AT WORK
1. Be clear on your point before discussing it. If you’ve
thought it out, it will be easier to present, but don’t
script it.
2. Prepare questions that will help you gain clarity from
the other person and reach a resolution.

3. Remember past success before the conversation to

make you feel confident.
 4. Get into the conversation with a “we” not a “me”
attitude. You’re on the same team, after all.

5. Keep emotions in check. Don’t discuss issues when

you’re angry or unhappy. Think about them logically first
and then go back to discuss.
6. Take deep breaths before the conversations to get rid of
nervous energy and gain focus.

7. Be honest and don’t avoid difficult conversations. By dealing

with it, you will build a better working relationship.
8. Be concise. Try to make each point directly with a short
explanation.

9. Use clear language with an even tone to make impact.

10. Summarize the main points and then stop

talking.
11. Ask them to recap your points to check their understanding.

12. Avoid distractions so you can concentrate on the other

person.
13. Focus on the message behind the words and show interest.

14. Don’t interrupt so you can ensure you hear their

point of view clearly.
15. Concisely recap what you heard them say so they have the
opportunity to correct your final take-away message.

16. Ask questions to ensure you understand their message.

17. Make eye contact frequently, but not too often because
some people are not comfortable with it.

18. Maintain open body language. Avoid crossing arms and

legs, which give the impression of disinterest of hostility.
19. Smile and nod to show if you understand without
interruption.

20. If you’re nervous, resist the urge to fidget and concentrate on

your breathing.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Make a good first impression

Most people think that we don’t make our first impression until
we start talking, but this is not the case. Be sure that before you
even start the conversation, you are approaching it with open
and confident body language.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Use Conversation Openers

The hardest part of a conversation is the opener.

We tend to agonize over who and how to
approach someone for a conversation. But don’t
worry! A few conversation starters are the easiest
way to get the chit chat ball rolling.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• First, research has found that the most effective conversation
starter is a simple, “Hello, how are you?” It’s super easy, but it
works!

Second, you can always use context to help.

Ask how the wine is or comment on the
venue or event. These are extremely subtle
and make it easy to strike up conversation.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Come out with a compliment

• Compliments are great conversation starters because

they instantly flatter the recipient, making them warmer
to you and more willing to participate in your
conversation--no matter where it heads. Be specific and
sincere in your compliment, however, or you'll risk
alienating the person.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Let the other person talk about the source of the
compliment, and once the topic has been more or less
exhausted, you can move in with almost any somewhat
related topic you can think of--your flattered
conversation partner will be much more open to hearing
whatever you have to say.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Look for an obvious commonality

• Are you wearing the same pair of shoes? Have the same
color car? Waiting for the same bus? This can be
incredibly trivial. It doesn’t matter what it is and, in fact,
the more meaningless it is, the easier it is to at least get a
response that can open a dialogue.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION

• Obviously, this does come with a limit. “I see we’re both

wearing pants” is unlikely to go far. Everyone wears pants—
well, almost everyone—and it’s unlikely to reveal anything
else. The same pair of shoes, however, can say quite a lot. It
says you have a similar taste in fashion even if the shoes you’re
wearing aren’t that uncommon.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Is there an elephant in the room?

This is the easiest way to start a conversation with just

about anyone. If you’re in a situation where
everyone is thinking the same thing, but no one is
saying it, you can have a roaring conversation going
in just a few seconds by stating the obvious.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION

• Suppose you’re in a line for a job interview. You can

spark a conversation with your co-applicants by, say,
asking a question about why they are interested to apply
for the job. Or in the office, you can start by saying
something about what your team is currently working
on.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION
• Get them to start the conversation

• If there’s something obvious to be talked about,

sometimes it can be fun to use your own body language
—facial expressions, hand gestures, posture—to
encourage someone else to start talking. This is one of
the most frequent techniques used in negotiations.
 HOW TO STARTA CONVERSATION

• Of course, in most aspects of life, it’s better to just be

direct. If you want to talk to someone, it’s your job to
start.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Extend the conversation with more questions

You can usually tell when a person is losing interest

in a conversation. If you reach that point, then
excuse yourself and be on your way.
However, if you feel like the person may be
receptive to a longer conversation, then why not
talk a bit more and get to know them better?
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION

• You can usually tell when a person is losing interest in a

conversation. If you reach that point, then excuse
yourself and be on your way. However, if you feel like
the person may be receptive to a longer conversation,
then why not talk a bit more and get to know them
better?
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Stories from everywhere

• Everyone knows that stories juice-up conversations, but

most people only talk about stories their own lives.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION

• You don’t have to draw from your own experience when

speaking with someone: you can use stories from
anywhere, from stories that happened to people you
know, to those you came across via the radio, TV,
magazines, etc.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION

• How can you integrate the stories into your

conversation? The key is to first realize that you can use
them. You’ve already heard them, and the more
interesting or weird they are, the harder they are to
forget, so you’re all good.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Ask for Opinion

• Everyone has an opinion on something, and many

people like to share them with others.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
Here are some questions you can ask to get the other person’s
view on a situation or topic:

• “I don’t know. What do you think?”

• “Has that been your experience too?”
• “Has that ever happened to you?”
• “Why do you think that is (the case)?”
• “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Once people start sharing their opinions, you open up
the door for a whole new area of conversation. Just be
careful not to probe too far into sensitive topics such as
politics or religion.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Explore a Topic Further

When your conversation arrives at a topic that

you’re comfortable speaking about in English, then
this is your chance to discuss it in more depth.
As an example, let’s say that you discovered your
conversation partner has a cat. You have a cat too.
Time to show some photos of your cat on your
smartphone!
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
Change/Shift the Topic

Sometimes a conversation can start to fade and you find

things are winding down. If you sense your conversation
partner is losing interest in talking about your impressive
collection of snow globes, it’s probably time to change
the topic!
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
Here are some ways you can switch to other topics:

“That reminds me …”
“Oh hey. Did you hear that …”
“Speaking of [horses], I found out that …”
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
Or, if you want to make a more abrupt change, you can
just say it directly with:

“Okay, I’m totally changing the topic now, but I

was wondering …”

“Not to go off topic, but I recently heard that..

 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Invite them to Talk Longer

After about 10 or 15 minutes, it’s worth checking that

your conversation partner wants to continue talking. Get
confirmation that they want to be in the conversation so
you can be sure they aren’t just being polite.
 MAINTAINING A CONVERSATION
• Here are some questions you can ask to see if it’s possible to
maintain a longer talk.

“I’m not keeping you from something, am I?”

“Sorry for taking up so much of your time. Do you need to take
off?”

These sorts of expressions show that you are being considerate

of your conversation partner’s needs.
 HOW TO END A CONVERSATION

• You’ve started a conversation, sparked stories and

gotten to know each other—now you have to end it.
Sometimes the art of the last impression is just as hard
as nailing the first impression.
 HOW TO END A CONVERSATION

To end your conversation, you may use “bookmarks”,

which are is a technique wherein you add markers or
emphasis to a certain part of the conversation that can
create a deeper connection.
 HOW TO END A CONVERSATION
• Bookmarks are verbal markers you say to make it easier
to follow-up or have something to talk about in the
future.

• Future Mentions: “Well, I can’t wait to see you at that

__ coming up—I’ll email you.”
• You Have to See: “I’ll be sure to send that link your
way, great talking to you!”
You can also use some of the following phrases:

“Well, if you ever want to chat again, I’m usually here [every
Monday afternoon].”
“Let me give you my email address. If you’re ever in the area
again it’d be great to meet up.”
“Feel free to call me if you want to hang out. Here, I’ll give you
my number.”
And remember to make them feel appreciated too!

• “I really enjoyed our chat. Thanks so much.”

• “It was really nice meeting you.”
• “I had a great time talking with you. Hope to see you
again soon.”