Conversation

Humans, it is said, are talking animals. This is one way of saying that man is a social animal, possessing the faculty of speech. Conversation is an important part of our social life. It is indeed an activity that characterises all mankind. Men and women everywhere spend a large part of their time in conversation. There are ocassions when what you say is important . The conversation then rises above the meaningless chit-chat. It is on such occasion that people find either a interesting person or a tedious bore. Have you ever wondered what it is that makes you a good conversationalist?

It hardly needs saying that you must, first of all, have something to say.This is possible only when you are interested in people and events. You must be well - informed . Reading books and magazines is more important , too, since they provide a store of material for your conversation. The information and the experience must become a part of you. You should not be like one of those tin-cans which are stuffed full of things, but will not yield their contents unless you holf them upside down and shake them vigorously . You must be able to bring your thoughts and ideas into your conversation naturally and at the right time.

Even when people engaged in a conversation are well-informed and have something worthwhile to say, their conversation may still be dull. This is often because they do not understand the true nature of conversation. Good conversation involves both talking and listening . Very often, one man in a group keeps talking without giving others a chance to say anything. Everyone should join the conversation.

Sometimes it happens that what one of the participants says is a dead end. The thread of the conversation seems to be broken at this point. What you must say must provoke others to say something more on the subject. Say something to which other people will be provoked to respond . But don't carry this too far. There are people who consider it a matter of pride to show off their wit in a conversation , very often at other people's expense. They spoil the spirit of the conversation. In a good conversation everyone must feel at home in the company. Conversation is really an occasion for a number of people to get together and enjoy warm companionship, and not for any one person to show that he/she is better than others.