We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2009. The incoming Year of the Ox is generally considered a fruitful year. From our club perspective, this year maybe the best time to work on your projects and grow into a more confident communicator and leader.
So prepare for an exciting year ahead!
Club News for January 2009:
In our last club meeting, one of our new members Emmanuel did his first project and Joan Wong also completed her project 9. Let's congratulate them on a job well done.
We also welcome our newest member Dave Tang who participated in club activities like table topics. Congratulations also to Mike Chia who was voted the best table topics speaker of the evening.
All in all, it was a good start of the year for all.
How to be a Good Conversationalist
Have you ever come to a social event like a party and felt awkward? Do you have problem striking a conversation with complete strangers? Do you have trouble having a conversation with people you don't know?
Many people think that the art of good conversation is to speak in an interesting and arresting fashion, to be noted for your humour, ability to tell stories and your general knowledge of a variety of subjects. Many people feel that, if they want to be better at conversation, they must become more articulate, outgoing and expressive. They must become better talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The most important skill is listening, to learn about the other person. So try not to dominate the conversation. Try to let the other person speak more and listen to him. So the trick is the art of asking good and well-formed questions.
Ask Open ended questions. These are questions that attempt to let the other person talk more. These are questions that do not require an simple answer of YES and NO. Ask questions that begin with 'WHAT', 'HOW' and 'WHY'. This will encourage the other person to speak more.
The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers. You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.
In order to be an excellent conversationalist, you must resist the urge to dominate the discussion. The very best conversationalists seem to be low-key, easy-going, cheerful, and genuinely interested in the other person. They seem to be quite content to listen when other people are talking and they make their own contributions to the dialogue rather short and to the point.
Some helpful tips in having successful conversations:
- have a positive attitude
- believe you will learn something
- believe you can offer something as well
- know about current events
- listen always to the other person
Developing effective conversational skills is an investment in your future. By improving your conversational skills you talk with confidence. You have the ability to talk to almost any person attracting friends and business clients twice the rate as you would without such skills.
So prepare for an exciting year ahead!
Club News for January 2009:
In our last club meeting, one of our new members Emmanuel did his first project and Joan Wong also completed her project 9. Let's congratulate them on a job well done.
We also welcome our newest member Dave Tang who participated in club activities like table topics. Congratulations also to Mike Chia who was voted the best table topics speaker of the evening.
All in all, it was a good start of the year for all.
How to be a Good Conversationalist
Have you ever come to a social event like a party and felt awkward? Do you have problem striking a conversation with complete strangers? Do you have trouble having a conversation with people you don't know?
Many people think that the art of good conversation is to speak in an interesting and arresting fashion, to be noted for your humour, ability to tell stories and your general knowledge of a variety of subjects. Many people feel that, if they want to be better at conversation, they must become more articulate, outgoing and expressive. They must become better talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The most important skill is listening, to learn about the other person. So try not to dominate the conversation. Try to let the other person speak more and listen to him. So the trick is the art of asking good and well-formed questions.
Ask Open ended questions. These are questions that attempt to let the other person talk more. These are questions that do not require an simple answer of YES and NO. Ask questions that begin with 'WHAT', 'HOW' and 'WHY'. This will encourage the other person to speak more.
The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers. You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.
In order to be an excellent conversationalist, you must resist the urge to dominate the discussion. The very best conversationalists seem to be low-key, easy-going, cheerful, and genuinely interested in the other person. They seem to be quite content to listen when other people are talking and they make their own contributions to the dialogue rather short and to the point.
Some helpful tips in having successful conversations:
- have a positive attitude
- believe you will learn something
- believe you can offer something as well
- know about current events
- listen always to the other person
Developing effective conversational skills is an investment in your future. By improving your conversational skills you talk with confidence. You have the ability to talk to almost any person attracting friends and business clients twice the rate as you would without such skills.
(To view presentation materials used in Advanced Project by one of our members, please double click on the link below.)
