Awkward silences are one of the worst feelings in the world, right up there with being picked last for dodgeball.
But here’s one simple tip that can practically eliminate awkward silences, especially with new people and even with people you’ve known for years.
What does that mean? It means that you already know exactly what’s going to come up at the beginning of a conversation with anyone. Think about what you are going to be asked almost automatically by people that you see on a daily basis.
-How was your weekend?
-How’s the family?
-How are you?
Here’s the tip. Prepare stories for those predictable, pattern-y conversations so that you’ll always know what to say and avoid awkward silences! A good 15-second anecdote will break open a conversation and take the focus off boring and overly-formal pleasantries that no one really cares about.
Instead of just saying “Good, and you?” to “How was your weekend?” give an answer about how you nearly broke your leg skiing. It doesn’t actually have to be something from the prior weekend or month. Better yet, you can re-frame the question they ask, such as “I had a boring weekend, BUT LAST MONTH…”
When people ask general questions about your weekend, they don’t actually want the literal answer – they just want to hear about your life in some way or another. Give it to them in a format that they can enjoy and that will make the conversation better!
Best of all, these stories take your conversation into more interesting directions than just trading “Oh, cool”s.
Just hanging around all weekend doesn’t warrant a “cool” reaction and you are more than that!