Having met someone What next? In this lesson, we will look at what constitutes a good conversation. A good conversation is one that solidifies your first impression and sets you up to begin a long and fruitful relationship with another person. Bruce Burton once said, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth, you let men or women look into your mind. Many of us struggle to initiate conversations.

This can lead to uneasy silence, eyes that dirt around the room and excessive sipping on our drinks if one is at hand. In many cultures, small talk is an important first step to establish a relationship before you can talk about business. Regardless of whether you are meeting in an informal networking or a business context, that executive who comes across as a conversationalist naturally conveys presence. However, being a conversationalist requires that you keep a few pointers in mind for suggest trying to be conversational is better than trying to be captivating. So Lauren Preston has suggested we should be interested, not interesting. A little expertise in a wide variety of matters is better than being a deep specialist in any particular topic.

The former is engaging, the latter drives people away if they can't contribute. Just because you know something, doesn't mean you have to say something. And finally, as we discussed in an earlier lesson, learned to read the body language of those that you are meeting. Are their eyes glazing over? Are they fidgeting uncomfortably? Are they trying to get away from you?

There are important cues that help you navigate through a conversation successfully, and know your audience. Avoid topics that will upset or annoyed or audience and focus on things that they will be interested in. It's a good idea to do some quick research ahead of an important meeting or networking event to give you a few talking points to fall back on. NSW refers to new sports and weather. So you should scan recent news headlines from local to national to international. Know the weather forecast for the rest of the week.

Know the current events going on in your city sporting and cultural. Ideally, you have a half dozen conversation starters ready to go before you show up to meet new people. Keep in mind the following rules of thumb when it comes to conversation. Those who lack executive presence talk about people and compare themselves. Those with weak executive presence talk about how the world revolves around them. Again, emphasizing the self.

Those was strong executive presence focus entirely on others and the world around them. Once you get beyond the NSW topics, prepare yourself to talk about more important topics that lend themselves to opinions and perspective. For example, your perspective on struggles in the world new technology service Surveys, research, or new ideas. These topics make you more vulnerable to your acquaintance, but open up the opportunity to build a deeper relationship. As we will learn about in later lessons. Your executive presence is defined by the topics you tackle in conversation.

Do you want to be known as selfless or selfish? Generally, people are more attracted to those who are positive and optimistic in their outlook. Those that communicate in verbal or nonverbal ways. messages of pessimism and despair tend to erode their own credibility. When you habitually convey a message that the sky is falling. those around you draw conclusions that you're overwhelmed, prepared, incompetent, or incapable of dealing with the demands of the situation.

It's hard to work in finance, and not feel that way sometimes, but financial executives rise above the challenges. This doesn't mean you don't acknowledge negative situations or the brutal facts of reality. which can't be ignored. However, anyone with executive presence stays calm and cool in high pressure situations, and frames the challenges in ways that create hope and a vision for improving it. Some of the pitfalls of networking events that we all fall into from time to time, or really attaching to friends or colleagues, when we feel uncomfortable about meeting new people, waiting to be introduced to people, instead of trying to introduce people, it's okay if you forget someone's name, everyone does it. So it's okay to ask.

And even little things like holding our drink and our hand shaking hand and then having to move it and it's cold and clammy. Those are things that can easily be avoided. These details matter because it's not only the people we're talking with that notice, but those around us. After key meetings and networking events, your work is not dead. In fact, this is where you can really differentiate yourself. If you met someone Whom you'd like to develop a relationship follow up.

Handwritten notes are great because so few people do it. However, you can also send an email, connect through LinkedIn, schedule a follow up meeting or coffee, send them more information, send them a pertinent article, send them a book that you like that you think would be relevant to them. The key is to make the follow up personal and genuine. Don't try selling them anything immediately. Instead, focus on developing the relationship. Something a good tip that I've heard once was, when you're first meeting someone, you give them something at least twice before you ask them for something so that they feel like it is now reasonable for them to give you something in return.

Opportunities will follow those who have strong relationships without the need to come across as a salesperson. In our last lesson, we will tackle how we now proactively manage this new contact we've just made See you there.