Conversation Etiquette

Jordan Harbinger offers valuable tips on maintaining smooth conversation etiquette, especially when faced with challenges like one-word responses. Here are key strategies to manage such situations effectively:

1. Identify the Cause: Understand that short responses might indicate shyness, dislike, or simply a bad mood. Differentiating these can guide your approach.

2. Open-Ended Questions: Shift from yes/no questions to open-ended ones. This can encourage more detailed responses, particularly useful if the person is just shy.

3. Question-Answer-Statement Formula: Enhance the flow of conversation by following up answers with a related statement before posing another question. This avoids making the dialogue feel like an interrogation and helps it progress more naturally.

For instance, rather than asking sequential unsettle questions like "Where are you from? What do you do?", you could say, "Where are you from? Oh, Detroit? That's interesting, my uncle worked there for years. What do you do there?" This technique makes the conversation feel more engaging and less forced. 1

These techniques are also part of the Six-Minute Networking course recommended by Jordan Harbinger, where you can dive deeper into refining your conversational skills.