How
comfortable are you striking up a conversation with someone new? Are you able to "work a room" with
ease? Anyone who knows me would say that I don’t have any
problems striking up a conversation with someone new in most situations. When I am attending a conference or on a
business trip I try to mingle with interesting people as it is a way to
network. If someone looks shy I will try
to talk to them and bring them out of their shell. I have found that this is a good way to meet
people and learn new things. I will even
start talking to someone in line at the store if they look approachable that
is. I enjoy "working a room" getting to know new people and never find it uncomfortable doing this.
Body language according to chapter 14 talks about in
order to be able to be open to conversation you have to be able to project this
with your nonverbal cues. This includes
moving toward the person, leaning forward so you are engaged, not crossing your
arms or legs, smiling, show you are listening (nodding) and touching the other
person. Most of these make sense to me
and I agree for the most part but for me crossing my legs is a comfort thing I
am not being closed off. However when I
think back to many conversations I am more engaged when my legs are not crossed
and I am leaning toward the person I am talking to.
Growing up I was pretty shy however I was very good at
listening to conversations around me and seeing how people interacted with each
other. After breaking out of my shell
and becoming more outgoing I found it easier to communicate with different
people in different situations. Having
to get up in front in people for speech classes, performing in dance class, or
even acting in musicals helped me become the outgoing person I am today. I use the icebreakers described in chapter 14
pretty much on a daily basis when I talk to students on the phone, or when I am
running a training session. I ask questions
and I use humor to break the ice. I find this puts people at ease.
I think my biggest frustration is that I can’t always
engage every person and I must work on understanding how and when I get
rejected and that I don’t take it personally but work on ways to reframe that
rejection to work toward my advantage. I
will continue to be that friendly person who makes contact and meet new people
because you never know who you might meet!
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