Conversation Skills
In a conversation between two people, who is doing the most of the talking?
Conversation should go back and forth equally.
A friend says you are rude. You don't mean to be rude. How do you figure out what you are doing that comes off as rude?
You ask your friend to explain exactly what you do that is rude. Sometimes it is hard to know unless someone explains clearly.
What are the consequences when you judge someone without all the facts of what is really going on.
People dislike you, you get a reputation for being harsh, and people may judge you for things too.
You're trying to explain something and it seems that the person you're talking to doesn't seem to understand what you mean. What can you do?
Try to explain in different words or show them a picture of what you mean.
What gives you anxiety the most?
a. Talking to other students.
b. Talking in front of the class.
c. Talking to teachers.
d. Something else.
Explain your answer. n
Why is it important to keep yourself from asking questions that are too personal?
You make others uncomfortable and they don't want to talk to you because they are afraid of what you might ask.
Being the only one in the conversation who is talking (hogging the conversation or going on and on without stopping to listen to the other person) is called what?
What is a monologue? Rude.
What are some questions that are too personal and shouldn't be asked?
What is one reason people may get confused about what we are trying to communicate?
We are changing topics too fast without letting them know what we are thinking. Also, using vague words like "that one thing", "that place", "that", and "what's it called", "that you do that one thing with" instead of proper explanations.
When you feel anxious about talking to others or approaching others, what can you do to help you move forward anyway?
Remember that just trying to talk or approach others shows that you are interested in them and that is important to everyone to feel like they are valued.
Ask what they like to do for fun. Ask about their favorite subjects, games, or music.
Getting in trouble for laughing or telling jokes in serious moments is a problem because....
It seems to others that you are being rude or disrespectful.
What are some topics you should never talk about an acquaintance (someone other than a best friend, or parent)?
Talking about sexual topics, political opinions, religious beliefs, details about personal body parts.
Instead of yelling or refusing to speak, what is one way you can let someone know they hurt your feelings or made you upset by something they did?
Say something like "I felt upset when you borrowed my notebook without my permission. It felt disrespectful. I need you to ask permission in the future."
Sometimes we feel embarrassed to talk or read in front of others because of our struggles in these areas. What can you do?
Talk to the teacher privately ahead of time to explain why you have the struggle and what makes it embarrassing.
When you are talking to someone and they are talking about plants, but you want to talk about soccer, how do you let them know you want to change the subject?
Say, "Is it okay if I tell you something about soccer?" or "Plants are cool, and I'm also really into soccer."
You have already told a teacher or boss that you have ADHD and struggle to remember things if they aren't written down. The adult keeps telling you things without writing down or giving you time to write down. What can you do?
Talk to the person and remind them that A)you have ADHD, and B) you have to write things down in order to remember them.
People find us rude when we stand too close to them when talking. What can we do to make sure we are standing at an appropriate distance?
If the person moves back from you slightly, then you should take a step back. Unless you are close friends, you should stand far enough apart when talking that another person could walk between you.
When you don't understand what the other person is trying to tell you to do, should you pretend to understand?
No. You could do the opposite of what they are saying. It is better to stop and say "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you want. Can you help me understand? "
Is it okay to tell people that you feel nervous when you are giving a speech?
yes. It actually helps you seem more human and people positively respond to your humanity.
What is THE most important thing to remember about having a conversation with another person?
Make sure you are not making it all about you. People like it when you ask about THEM and give THEM time to talk/act interested in THEM.
Your best friend is upset with you for telling someone a secret they told you. What is the best thing for you to do to fix the problem?
Apologize to my friend very sincerely, admitting I was wrong and that I know I messed up, and telling them that I will do my best to not do that in the future. Ask them how I can fix the problem.
Interrupting others is very rude. Sometimes, we do that without realizing, it because we are so excited about a thought we had and we don't want to forget the thought. What can we do instead, to avoid being rude?
We can chant the thought in our head silently until the person is done speaking and it is our turn to talk. We can write it down on a piece of paper or type into our phone to avoid forgetting. We could just do our best to remember, knowing that, if we forget, it is okay because we are still showing respect to the other person.
If someone asks your preference about something or your opinion, it is because they want to know. How can you still be polite while communicating clearly?
"Well, you asked, so I guess you want to know the truth...." I don't really care for carrots.
We often feel anxious in social situations because we feel we will do something that will be offensive or cause others to ridicule us. What can hep us feel more calm in this situation?
Take a few deep breaths. Realize everyone feels this way sometimes. Remember that being honest about our anxiety helps us appear human, and just tell them we feel anxious.