3 min read
Keeping a conversation going
Questions, listening and following threads, so you're never stuck after the first exchange.
Follow the thread they give you
Most answers contain a small detail worth asking about. A place, a project, a word they lingered on. Picking it up shows you were listening.
You don't need new topics. You need one more question about the last thing they said.
Questions that open things up
Questions that start with how, what or why tend to get longer, more interesting answers than yes-or-no ones.
Say: How did you get into that?
Say: What's the best part of it, honestly?
Say: What's keeping you busy at the moment, outside of work?
Say: What's something you're looking forward to this year?
Say: That sounds like a big change. What made you decide to do it?
Share a little too
A conversation that's all questions starts to feel like an interview. After a couple of questions, offer something small about yourself that connects to what they said.
It doesn't need to be impressive. A short, honest detail invites them to ask you something back.
Silence is fine
A pause isn't a failure. Often the other person is thinking, and the best part of the conversation comes after it.
If a pause stretches, go back to something they mentioned earlier. "You said earlier you'd just moved. How's that going?" is always available.