English Communication: How To Be a Great Conversationalist

Conversation is the basis of communication. It establishes rapport and connects us to our colleagues, clients, co-workers, friends, family. Confidence in your ability to converse makes you better in your work relationships and personal relationships.

Susan RoAne made a survey of what she called, “ConverSensations”, people who enjoy conversation and are very good at it. Seventy-five percent of those people reported that either they were shy or had been shy.

It all boils down to the simple truth that there are barriers in every person to satisfying conversation.

So in the next several blogs, I’ll present some tips for bolstering your conversational skill and confidence.

How did 75% of Susan RoAne’s ConverSensations who considered themselves shy work through their discomfort?

One way was focusing on others. First you can melt the ice by focusing on the event. Then reveal a bit of information about yourself. Remember, everyone has childhoods, hobbies or interests. Many have children, have taken trips or vacations. These are rich topics to talk about.

Another way these people worked through their discomfort was acting like the host. In other words, they made sure everyone was at ease, introduced and felt welcome.

Sharing a sincere compliment is one way to begin or contribute to a conversation. People love hearing that something about them is appreciated, valued, or noticed.

Here is another tip. Good conversationalists have plenty of outside interests to talk about. They may play football/soccer, love movies, traveling or listening to pop or classical music. But hear this: Most important, good conversationalists can talk about what they don’t do in order to engage someone in conversation who does! The fun is that the focus is on the other person.

Click here: www.cleartalkmastery.com/scheduler to sign up for a Free Sample Lesson with us!

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercises.

Rapport- How to?

How to get to that sweet spot of building mutual warmth and walking the same page with your audience?

Answer: Put their needs and interests ahead of your own.

You don’t ignore your own needs, but put the spotlight on their needs.

For example,  if your audience has been listening to hours of speeches all day, give them a gift and cut your  60-minute speech to 20 minutes .  Yes, you get your message to them, they get a respite AND they will love you for it.

What Practical Real-Life Difference will Increase in Intelligibility Make?

Everybody wants people to grasp what they say, so a high intelligibility score is better than a low score. It is a no-brainer. Speaking accurate English sounds and words makes life much better for the speaker and the listener!

Recall the range of scores for our clients before any accent reduction instruction has been between 2% and 85%. The average was 38% for accurate English pronunciation.

But exactly what practical real-life difference will an increase of 30, 40, 50 or even 100%, which is a doubling of intelligibility, make for a talker.

Here are some rules of thumb. For graduate students doing a teaching assistant job, university departments prefer the students aim for at least 70% intelligibility. That level vastly reduces complaints from the university undergraduates in the labs and recitations.

International speakers themselves who reach at least 65% intelligibility say they have more confidence and comfort when speaking English.

Those who reach 80% intelligibility often boast of glowing praise from employers and colleagues.

Yes. You and many are brave in seeking the new path to the joy of accurate English pronunciation. Weird but true and lovely.

Click here: www.cleartalkmastery.com/scheduler to sign up for a Free Sample Lesson with us!

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercises.

Rapport- Pure and Simple

What makes you different from a robot?  You can grow rapport with the audience.

What is the goal of rapport?  A feeling of mutual warmth and the sense that you’re on the same wavelength and mind frame.

Communication Skills Training : Space Comfort Zone in the U.S.

In all countries, people need a certain amount of space to feel comfortable in different situations. The size of these zones is determined by culture—Japanese  feel comfortable with closer contact than Latinos or North Americans.

Here is what communication scientists have identified for the United States.

• The intimate region, from 16 to 18 inches.  We reserve this for people we feel closest to.  We will move our bodies away if someone comes too close
• The private space, from 1.5 feet to about 4 feet, is our comfort zone when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances in quiet conversation
• The social zone, from 4 to 12 feet, is the space most people in the U.S. culture feel is appropriate to put between themselves and strangers
• Public space is anything beyond 12 feet.

Pay attention to the space you and others occupy.  Pay attention to the other person’s body language and movement.  If they move away from you or closer to you, they could be signaling or expressing their personal  comfort zone or that of their country of origin.

Click here: www.cleartalkmastery.com/scheduler to sign up for a Free Sample Lesson with us!

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercises.