Successful talker

8 Qualities of a Successful Talker
Following are a few conversational "rules of engagement" which, if prayerfully applied, will help you better approach any conversation with ease and confidence—whether it's the guy next door, someone from another Home, a potential contact or long time supporter. As the article excerpt says below, "whether it's social or professional, the road to success ispaved with talk." And how true is that when it comes to our witnessing and winning?!
Worth improving your conversation? Definitely!
italk
Even though talking is something we do every day, there are lots of situations where it can be difficult and where we could do it better. The road to success, whether it's social or professional, is paved with talk. If you're not confident as a talker, the roadcan be bumpy.
As much as I enjoy talking, I know why people can be uncomfortable with it. As Thomas Jefferson once put it, "It is better to remain silent and be presumed a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." When you're talking to a stranger or to a lot of other people at once, the fear is magnified.
One thing I've learned is that you can talk to anyone, if you have the rightattitude.
After reading this you should know how to get your message across effectively in a professional setting. You'll be talking better and enjoying it more.
The Basics of Good Conversation
The right attitude—the will to talk even when you might not be comfortable at first—is a basic ingredient for becoming a better talker.
Besides the willingness to work on it, you need at least two otheringredients to be a good conversationalist: a sincere interest in and respect for the other person and an openness to tell them about yourself.
You cannot talk to people successfully if they think you are not interested in what they have to say or you have no respect for them. Your listeners will always be able to tell whether you respect them. The remaining ingredient in my formula for successis an openness about yourself while you are talking to others. The golden rule—Do unto others as you would have them do unto you—applies to conversation, too. You should be as open and honest with your conversational partners as you'd want them to be with you.
This doesn't mean you should talk about yourself all the time or divulge personal secrets [and certainly not the personal secrets ofsomeone else]. At the same time, however, you should be willing to reveal the kind of information that you'd ask of another person.
Rules of Conversation
Listen.
My first rule of conversation is this: I never learn a thing while I'm talking. To be a good talker, you must be a good listener. This is more than just a matter of showing an interest in your conversation partner. Careful listening makesyou better able to respond—to be a good talker when it's your turn. Good follow-up questions are the mark of a good conversationalist.
Avoid yes/no questions.
"Yes/no" questions are the enemy of good talk. By their nature they produce answers of only one or two words. But, if you couch [questions] in more substantive terms that will generate an expanded answer, the conversation keeps onflowing.
Eye contact.
I've never gone out of my way to study body language, but there is one rule of body language that you must follow for successful conversation: Make eye contact. Maintaining good eye contact—not just at the beginning and end of your comments, but the whole time you are talking and listening—all go far toward making you a successful talker wherever you are, whatever the occasionmight be, and whoever the other person is.
Don't stare.
One further note on this subject: Although it's important to make eye contact frequently as you talk, you don't need to stare continuously in the other person's eyes. Many people would find that uncomfortable, and you might, too. Maintain eye contact when your conversation partner is talking and when you are asking a question. If you're...