BalanceOctober2016 - 15

,
k
l
a
t
small

I CE BREA KERS

big

s
n
o
i
s
s
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r
imp
Dates, job interviews, meeting the
parents... conversation is crucial,
but can you improve your skills?
Sophie Goddard finds out if a
workshop can turn things around

Has solitude (and social
media) meant I've lost the
knack of good conversation?
And is it possible to get it back?
Could the answers, I wondered,
be found at The School of Life's How
to Have Better Conversations course?
A workshop investigating the psychology
and philosophy of 'good' conversation
sounded interesting - the prospect of having
more enjoyable, less stilted, conversations
was undeniably appealing.

R

ecently, a friend of mine was queuing
for the water cooler at work when he
politely let a female colleague fill up
her flask first. 'Go ahead, I've got
a big one,' he muttered absent-mindedly,
motioning towards his water bottle. The
woman burst out laughing and he, stunned
into a silence on realising his faux pas, now
buys a fresh bottle each day to avoid the water
cooler. Office small talk fail.
While my water cooler chat isn't quite that
cringe-worthy, I've found myself struggling with
small talk recently. And, as a journalist working
at home alone, I worry I'm getting worse at it.
From dates to breakfast meetings, sometimes
it feels like I'm churning out the same old stories
or, worse, have nothing much to say at all.

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE
Most of us
struggle
with small
talk. But
if you can
start a
discussion
in an
interesting
way, half the
battle is won
October 2016 BALANCE

Sat in a room with 20 or so others, it became
apparent that we weren't all there for the same
reason. 'I'm here for business,' one smartly
dressed man piped up. 'When I ask colleagues
about the football, I get more from them
- they're more likely to help me out,' he said,
with a shrug. Another wanted help with his love
life. 'When a date is talking, I'm not listening to
them - I'm thinking of the next question to
ask because I hate silences,' he admitted.

15



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceOctober2016

BalanceOctober2016 - 1
BalanceOctober2016 - 2
BalanceOctober2016 - 3
BalanceOctober2016 - 4
BalanceOctober2016 - 5
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BalanceOctober2016 - 45
BalanceOctober2016 - 46
BalanceOctober2016 - 47
BalanceOctober2016 - 48
BalanceOctober2016 - 49
BalanceOctober2016 - 50
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BalanceOctober2016 - 53
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BalanceOctober2016 - 56
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http://europe.nxtbook.com/emp/Balance/BalanceDecember2016
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