Check out today’s Teatime Titbit: Small Talk Mastery
Set yourself apart (sich von jdn/etw abheben) from the rest when it comes to small talk with others with 7 great questions you can ask about their work, which I picked up from the book ‘Go-Givers sell more’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann (a very recommended read especially if you are in the selling business).
Rather than the lame (schwach) old“What do you do?”, why not lead in with this peach of a question (hier: tolle Frage) to get your conversation partner into the mood to talk with you: “How did you get started in your industry?”. Even though you don’t know what it is, you soon will and watch their face light up (if their face screws up, get ready for a quick – “oh, there’s my boss over there, it was great meeting you) as they reminisce (an etw zurückdenken) why they took up this profession (einen Beruf ergreifen) in the first place.
Sprinkle (etw einstreuen) a couple of the next 6 questions will give them something to chew on (hier: über etw nachsinnen) and make sure you don’t forget the ‘I’m listening’ noises in the right places and your conversation will most definitely stick out in their memory.
“What do you enjoy most about what you do?”
“What do you see as the most unique/special about your company/business?
“What advice would you give somebody just starting out in your business?”
“What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen happen in your business?”
“What significant changes have you seen happen in the last 10 years?”
“What do you see are the coming trends in your business?”
Happy chatting!!!
The fine art of small talk… a sensitive issue. Thanks for making us feel more at ease with these questions as examples to start a good conversation apart from the bog-standard „What do you do?“.