Drivers
One of the easiest ways to drive a conversation is to ask a
question
Are one-word answers usually conversation drivers or stoppers?
Stoppers
Joe: "I'm thinking of going to see that new movie. Do you know anything about it?"
John: "No."
Did John drive or stop the conversation?
Stop - one word answer
Anna: "Are you going to Kim's party on Friday?
Jen: "I didn't get an invitation."
How could Anna respond?
"Oh, she probably hasn't given it to you yet." and change the topic
Question about cars
One way to drive a conversation is to make a comment. Which comment drives the conversation: "OK." or "I like that movie too."?
"I like that movie too."
Which of the choice below is a conversation stopper:
a. Looking interested
b. Looking away
c. Looking at the person you're talking to
b. looking away
John: "I've always loved building with Legos. I hope I get a new set for Christmas."
Joe: "What kind of lego sets do you have?"
John: "I've got the big star wars one. It's my favorite."
Did Joe drive or stop the conversation?
Drive
Jen: "Did you see your grade for the math final? I got a perfect score!"
Anna: "I failed."
How could Jen save the conversation?
Tell Anna that she's sorry and that she hopes she will do better next time.
Make a comment (that would drive a conversation) about cars.
Comment about cars
True or False: Our body language can either stop or drive a conversation
True - if you show interest, face the person, and make good eye contact, it can help drive the conversation. If we show that we aren't interested, face away from the person, and not have good eye contact, it can stop the conversation.
Which one is a conversation stopper:
a. talking too much
b. staying on topic
c. asking questions
a. talking too much
Joe: "Did you get to play basketball this weekend?"
Jake: "Yeah I did. I played after school on Friday. Then after basketball, my friends and I went to grab ice cream. On saturday and sunday I played some video games and recorded some stuff for my youtube channel. I'm trying to be a youtuber, so I've been trying to upload a new video every week. You should check out my youtube videos."
Joe: oh that's cool
Jake: "Yeah here's my youtube channel. I have 300 subscribers so far and my last video has 500 views! I'm gonna make more videos this weekend. For my next video..."
Did Jake drive or stop the conversation?
Stop. He is monopolizing the entire conversation and only talking about his interests.
Anna: "I just love reading about celebrities and their lives. They're so interesting!"
Jen: "I hate that stuff. It's boring."
How can Anna save the conversation?
Agree that not everyone likes the same things and change the topic
Ask a question about someone's interests.
Question about interests
How can you drive a conversation on a topic that you're not familiar with? Something like nuclear physics.
- Ask questions
What's one thing you can say that will stop a conversation?
(Variety of responses)
John: "My favorite holiday song is definitely Jingle Bell Rock. What about you?"
Joe: "Christmas music is dumb."
Did Joe drive or stop the conversation?
Stop
Jen: "What are you going to wear to the party?"
Anna: "Party?"
Jen: "Oh no, I forgot it was supposed to be a surprise!"
How can Anna save the conversation?
Tell Jen that it's OK and she will pretend to be surprised.
Make a comment that would drive a conversation about soccer.
Comment about soccer
Should you continue to drive a conversation with someone who seems to be in a hurry to go?
No, end the conversation.
What's one thing you can do (nonverbal) that will stop a conversation?
(Variety of responses) - look away, look at your watch, frown, give a mean look, give an angry look
Joe: "Did you know that Jupiter and Venus are going to pass close to each other soon so that they look like a giant star?"
John: "That's not really true though because they're planets and they're actually 100,000 light-years away from each other."
Joe: "Oh."
Did John drive or stop the conversation?
Stop
Anna is sitting next to her aunt at Christmas dinner. She doesn't know her aunt well. How can she start a conversation with her?
Make a comment that would drive a conversation about movies.
Comment about movies.