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How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Develop Networking Skills, and Leave: The Fine Art of Small Talk
When I first got into the business of helping people
cultivate conversation skills, I ran into a lot of
skepticism. Invariably, executives would scoff at the idea
of a housewife’s trivial initiative to overcome boredom.
Then I would get clandestine calls for assistance from
folks with prestigious titles. People would construct
elaborate covert operations to seek advice without actually asking for it, because they were embarrassed. I can
appreciate that. In a previous life as a nerdy engineer, I
was burdened with poor social skills and embarrassed by
my own conversational ineptitude. Before I gave myself a
remedial education in the Fine Art of Small Talk, I had
been a poor communicator and a timid person for as long
as I could recall.
Contents
Preface ix
chapter 1
What’s the Big Deal About Small Talk? 1
chapter 2
Get Over Your Mom’s Good Intentions 12
chapter 3
Take the Plunge: Start a Conversation! 27
chapter 4
Keep the Conversation Going! 37
chapter 5
Let’s Give ’Em Something to Talk About 49
chapter 6
Hearing Aids and Listening Devices 66
chapter 7
Prevent Pregnant Pauses with Preparation 84
chapter 8
Conversational Clout 108
chapter 9
Crimes and Misdemeanors 114
chapter 10
The Graceful Exit 139
chapter 11
The Conversational Ball Is in Your Court! 154
chapter 12
Make the Most of Networking Events! 159
chapter 13
Surviving the Singles Scene 165
chapter 14
Feel-Good Factor 185
chapter 15
Holiday Party Savvy 192
chapter 16
Carpe Diem 195
Acknowledgments 201
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