Book - The Complete Book of Questions:

1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion

This book provides groups with 1,001 engaging and thought-provoking icebreaker questions to start and sustain meaningful conversations.

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More on Communication and conversation

Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud

Sometimes the best way to understand the present is to look at it from the past. Consider audio books. An enormous number of Americans read by listening these days — listening aloud, I call it. The technology for doing so is diverse and widespread, and so are the places people listen to audio books. But from the perspective of a reader in, say, the early 19th century, about the time of Jane Austen, there is something peculiar about it, even lonely. >>> more ...

Your subconscious mind holds the key to mastering social finesse!

• Do parties or social gatherings make you nervous?

• Do you suffer from low self-esteem, social anxiety, acute shyness or loneliness?

• Do you find it difficult to meet and talk to new people?

• Are you convinced that people ignore you, avoid you or won't like you?

• Are you too scared to suggest a meeting or a date?

• Are you sick of seeing yourself as a "wall flower" or an "outcast" and, worse, not liking yourself because of that perception?

Everyone is special and has equal ability to light up a room! You don't have to be outgoing to be a master of social finesse - you can simply have a great smile, or could be a sympathetic or enthusiastic listener for one person at a time.

This hypnosis CD or MP3 will power your mind to be a master of social finesse, and enable you to naturally:

• Improve your natural confidence and self-esteem.

• Be able to function without "masks", or your old ways or habits that you hide behind, which prevent the "real you" from relaxing and enjoying yourself.

• Learn how to focus on the moment or on the person you're speaking to - instead of yourself, your appearance or your fears.

• Eliminate debilitating shyness and allow yourself to shine as brightly as you want, whenever you want!

• Relate and find things in common with anyone that you happen to come into contact with.

• Learn the power of a smile and when to use it to your advantage.

• Learn how to be brave enough to strike up a conversation

• Handle confronting situations or difficult times when you don't know what to say - with easy-to-implement solutions, such as asking questions about the person you're talking to & then listening well for clues on how to continue the conversation.

• Banish phobias and fears that the 'wrong thing' will come out.

• Establish your back up "safety net" of knowing how to instantly and naturally calm yourself, handle or resolve things, or make amends, if awkwardness surfaces.

• Understand body language and be more aware of a person's signals when you're speaking to them- and learn better ways to react accordingly.

• Learn how to self-assess appropriately with brilliant tips and tricks such as knowing when to tone it down, when (and when not) to check your appearance or your surroundings; when to speak and when to listen.

You'd be surprised just how many people find social finesse difficult - but it can be easier than you think - Act Now!

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How to develop great communication skills

The vast majority of people by nature have a fascination with the sound of their own voice - which often shows itself in their desire to keep on talking. However, there is quite a bit of difference between talking and communicating, with the latter requiring consistent application of effort. People with really good communication skills know what to say at precisely the right moment, at what location and to who. More importantly, they know when not to speak at all, and just actively listen.

There are specific key traits that show whether a person is a great communicator or not - one of the se is being a really good listener. You may be able to communicate your points of view and general thoughts to another person in a clear way, but when it comes to listening to other people, you are simply "in the dark". With most individuals, the quality of listening is directly related to their personal understanding of information, and with the constantly evolving situation in the business world today, superb listening skills are absolutely necessary for achieving success.

Here are some tips that will help you to improve your listening skills: 1. Pay attention to what the other person is talking about. It's quite important to pay attention to the speaker, and it is not only the matter of maintaining good eye contact, but the posture of your entire body is important as well. 2. Let the other person speak. Patience is the essence of any good communication ability. It's important during the act of listening that you should allow the other person to put forward his/her opinions, while making a point to not interrupt in the middle of the discussion. 3. Do not impose your opinion. To avoid conflict, you should respect the opinions of others, and at the same time, try not to impose your opinions on others either, as it often happens that the opinions of any two people don't even remotely come close to common ground. 4. Ask meaningful questions. It is important that during a discussion only meaningful questions pertaining to the discussion are asked or raised. These questions should always direct the conversation towards a useful conclusion. 5. Help and support the other individual. Great listening requires developing a supportive feeling for everyone speaking in order to help them sense that everything is going smoothly. Encourage the other individual, and make them sense that you're interested in listening to his/her opinions and views. 6. Restate your thoughts. Listening is quite different from hearing, and it's not the easiest of skills to master. Although listening by itself will definitely help you to gain some understanding, or at the very least help you to get to a point of view, it is still very important that at the close of every discussion you should be able to easily restate, in order, all of the previous ideas. It is quite true that the more you listen, the more effective and efficient you become. Many of you may be experienced in speaking, but have you ever really thought of the true value of listening? The tips listed above may not ensure that you'll be suddenly transformed into a great listener, but what they certainly will do is hone your listening skills to a great degree, thereby directly affecting your overall communication ability. Copyright (c) 2009 Alan Gillies Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in providing Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses across the Globe. Want to learn more about these business success strategies? Get Alan's popular FREE ebook, available at http://www.L2LGroup.com.

8 tips for finding your voice

Q : I know that agents and editors look for writers who have strong voices, but I’m having trouble finding mine. Any advice?

A : It’s true. Editors, agents, publishers and, above all, readers do respond most to a writer with a great voice.

Voice is what gives writing energy, authenticity, it animates the narrator and characters with a unique personality. It grabs your attention and keeps you turning the page. ... more

How Does the Brain Form Sentences?

Forming a grammatically correct sentence may seem to require advanced cognitive skills, but it turns out that our creative language capacity might rely on a less sophisticated system than is commonly thought. A recent study suggests that our ability to construct sentences may arise from procedural memory—the same simple memory system that lets our dogs learn to sit on command. >>>