In this lesson, you will learn the Dos and Don’ts of English conversation.
STUDY WITH ME
Free English Newsletter: Receive English tips via email
Daily English Vocabulary Email: Take your vocabulary to the next level with these daily vocabulary lessons in your email inbox
English With Tiffani App: Improve your English with my English App
Daily English Lessons Membership: Stop being stuck and finally go from the intermediate to the advanced English level with these daily English lessons
Speak English Like A Native Membership: Join this community and start speaking English more naturally
English Books & Resources: These resources will help you improve your vocabulary, sentence structures, interview skills, and much more
DO #1
SHOW INTEREST AND BE CURIOUS
4 POINTS
- By showing interest, the person will want to continue having a conversation with you.
- Showing interest reveals that you care about what the other person is saying.
- Being curious means that you can ask questions related to what the person is saying.
- Curiosity also results in you forming your own ideas/opinions about the topic.
DO #2
BALANCE GIVE AND TAKE
4 POINTS
- It is important to listen, but it is also important for you to give your opinion as well.
- Try to balance the amount of time that both of you listen and speak. This will result in a smooth conversation.
- If the person asks you a question, try to think of another question you can ask them as well.
- Pay attention to the person you are talking to. This is so you can recognize when they want to speak.
DO #3
HAVE SOMETHING INTERESTING TO SAY
4 POINTS
- If you say something interesting, the person listening to you will probably ask for more details.
- The more interesting a conversation is, the longer the conversation will be.
- In order for a conversation to flow well, you must be thinking of what you can add to it.
- Remember that in order to be interesting, the information must connect to the listener in some way.
DON’T #1
DON’T DOMINATE
The first thing to remember is to never dominate the conversation. It is important to make sure there is a balance between you and the person you are speaking to.
3 POINTS
- Dominating shows that you don’t care about the other person’s opinion.
- People don’t want to have conversations with people who dominate the conversation.
- It also shows that your listening skills are not good.
DON’T #2
DON’T TALK MORE THAN YOU LISTEN
The second thing to remember is that listening skills are an important part of effective communication. In other words, listening attentively will actually help you to master English conversation.
3 POINTS
- Listening attentively will help you to understand people better.
- As you listen, you actually improve your English ability, because you are taking in new information.
- If you listen well, the other person will also want to listen to you.
DON’T #3
DON’T INTERRUPT
The third thing to remember is to never interrupt. This is because interrupting someone, or suddenly stopping them, is rude and can stop a conversation.
3 POINTS
- People don’t want to talk to someone who constantly interrupts them.
- Interrupting someone shows that you are not listening to them.
- It also hinders the flow of conversation, because it shows that you think your words are more important.