From the course: Nano Tips for Effortless Conversations with Shadé Zahrai and Jefferson Fisher
How to avoid awkward silences
From the course: Nano Tips for Effortless Conversations with Shadé Zahrai and Jefferson Fisher
How to avoid awkward silences
- How to avoid awkward silence. Number one, rather than allowing the conversation to drift off into awkward silence, I want you to use the phrase "I imagine," like, I imagine that's fun, or I imagine that's really difficult, or I imagine you've learned a lot. When you use the phrase "I imagine," it engages the other person to continue to talk more. Number two, favorite stories over statements, meaning you want to find ways to draw out stories from the person rather than just resorting to a one or two word response. And you do that by getting them to talk about what has led them to the present moment. For example, how did you get into that? And number three, if the awkward silence continues to hang there, just end the conversation. All you need to do is quickly say, "Well, I got to get going. It's been great to talk to you." It's as easy as that.
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