Do you despise small talk?
Contributed by Ashley Dalsing, PRSA Central Iowa newsletter chair
There are two types of people in this world: those who can work a room with conversation, and those who avoid — or cringe at the thought of small talk or any social situation for that matter. And both of these people can be communicators, marketers and public relations professionals.
For those who cringe at the thought of networking events and small talk, this post is for you. WE are providing tips for navigating those conversations, making them last, and helping you feel comfortable.
Consider these two questions and follow-up responses from The Muse to get you started:
- Start by asking: What do you do for a living?
Follow up with: “Wow, that sounds hard,” because nearly everyone in the world feels their job is difficult. And, this technique helps your conversation partner feel you understand his or hers pain.
- Next you should ask: How did you get started in this field?
Follow up with: Your own career experiences! By now, you will be able to add your own spin to this and build off of what has already been said.
Whether you know it or not, people love talking about themselves. And with these two questions and follow-up responses, your conversation could be well over 15 minutes already!
With anything — time, practice and patience are your friends. The more times you practice, the better you will get at perfecting networking and creating more out of small talk.
Your opportunity to practice!
Join Central Iowa PRSA for a strategic communications conference. The 2018 OctoPRfest is Thursday, Oct. 18, at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Be prepared to learn, and network with like-minded professionals in your industry. To view the full agenda, speaker line-up and to register, click here.
