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​Thinker. Director. Socializer. Relator.
Do you know what your communication style is?

Start The Quiz

How To Keep A Conversation Going & Destroy Awkward Pauses (9 Tips That Work)

1/10/2021

 
How To Keep A Conversation Going and Destroy Awkward Pauses Forever

You feel it...the death of your conversation.

"Some get the crash cart!!!"

You're standing there, it feels like hours since you've spoken. The ice in your drink slowly melts. 

We've all been there, wondering how to keep a conversation going when:

  • Making small talk with a co-worker before the Zoom meeting starts.
  • Meeting a new person at a backyard BBQ.
  • Sitting next to an acquaintance at happy hour.

When we can keep that conversation going, we can make new friends, better job opportunities, and become more successful.

So how do we do it?
In this article, you'll learn:
  • How to avoid editing yourself so you don't run out of things to say.
  • How to prep something to talk about so you'll have conversation topics ready.
  • Why you should have 3 good stories ready.
  • How to listen and respond like a pro. (Show people that you're really listening.)
  • How to use the Spokes method to keep a conversation going. (Even if you don't know much about the topic.)
  • How to use "Dig questions" to go beyond small talk to deeper conversations.
  • And more!
Let's dive in!
​
Here are 9 ways to keep a conversation going & destroy awkward pauses forever:

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179+ (Interesting) Questions To Get To Know Someone Better

1/3/2021

 
questions to get to know someone
​Questions are a great way to get a conversation going at a barbecue, a Zoom networking event, or a party.

Questions can even help you move past small talk and into deeper topics. (Which studies suggest could make you happier!)

If you’ve ever struggled with thinking up questions to get to know someone better, this post is for you!

Pro-tip: Don’t ONLY ask questions. If you do, you’ll fall into the interrogation trap! 

After your conversational partner responds, keep the conversation going by making an observation about what they said.

Look through the list below and copy/paste 5 of your favorite questions into the notes app on your phone.

Then, you’ll be all set to break the ice at your next social event!

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How To Be More Outgoing [10 Powerful Tips That Work]

11/13/2020

 
How To Be More Outgoing
I believe that everyone has the ability to improve their social skills and become more outgoing - you just have to tap into that outgoing part of yourself. 

But as any introvert who’s tried to teach themselves how to be more outgoing can tell you - it’s not as easy as it sounds. 

“Know thyself.” -Socrates

Socrates wasn’t playing around when he dropped this philosophical morsel on us. 

He believed that the answer to all happiness and philosophical unrest was to look within where all knowledge already lives, waiting to be remembered. 

I love this idea because it’s an equalizer.

We might have different starting points, but we can ALL improve and grow.

If you want to learn how to be more outgoing--you just need the mindsets and tactics to get there!

​So let’s talk about how to be more outgoing as an introvert, step-by-step. 

In this article you’ll learn:

  • How to overcome “The Spotlight Effect”
  • How to create If/When/Then systems to automatically be more outgoing
  • Tips for looking more approachable 
  • Engaging others through genuine curiosity
  • How to prep answers and anecdotes ahead of time (without sounding rehearsed!)
  • How to lead deeper conversations 
  • How to avoid overthinking
  • How to keep the conversation going 
  • How to rewrite your reality by expecting good things to happen
  • And more!
Ready? Let’s dive in!

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[8 Tips] How To Be More Social Starting Today

10/30/2020

 
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When I became self-employed, it was a huge shift.

Gone were coworkers, office small talk, and happy hours.

Instead, it was just me.

And the cat.

At first, it was nice.

"Finally, I can just put my head down and do the work!" I thought.

But, after a couple of months, I realized "Holy crap! I might accidentally become a hermit if I'm not careful."

When you're trying to learn (or in my case re-learn) how to become more social, it's effective to have a few tips to help you get on the right track.

These tips will help whether you're

  • A soloprenuer
  • A remote worker.
  • Or you just need a social shot-in-the-arm to be more social.

Here's a sample of crappy advice you WON'T find in this article:

  • "Just be yourself!" (This means nothing. You're always you.)
  • "You should read How To Win Friends and Influence people!" (Good book. I'm just sick of hearing people recommend it like it's some kind of magic elixir.)
  • "Make sure your handshake is firm and always on top. Show dominance." (WTF?!)

You ready?

Strap in.

​Here are 8 ways to become more social starting TODAY. 

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How To Improve Conversation Skills (8 Powerful Tips)

9/29/2020

 
How To Improve Conversation Skills
The importance of conversation skills: these skills can be the difference between having great friends, connections, and experiences and...not.

  • In your business or career, good conversation skills can help you land a new client, or lay the groundwork for future promotions.
  • In your social life, good conversation skills can help you get a date, or build a relationship with a potential lifelong friend. 

Today we're going to cover how to improve conversation skills. You can start using these 8 powerful tips today.

In This Article, You'll Learn...

  • How to become more approachable. (Works IRL and on Zoom meetings!)
  • How to make better eye contact.
  • The Iceberg Effect: How to develop a wide range of interests so you'll have more to talk about during conversations.
  • Why dialing up your energy by 10% is crucial for better conversations.
  • How to use the Spokes Method to always have something to say in conversations. 
  • What to do if you interrupt during conversations.
  • How to build rapport quickly by listening for "same here!" moments.
  • And more!
​Let's dive in: Watch the video below, or read on...your call!
(These first two tips will help your conversation skills before you even open your mouth!)

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How To Introduce People (With Word-For-Word Scripts)

5/29/2020

 
how to introduce people
Knowing how to introduce people is a great skill to have.

Example:  A friend's wedding.

At the reception, after grabbing a fresh drink, I saw my former co-worker, Michael.

He stood up and walked over, shook my hand, and we talked for a few minutes about the World Series.

As our conversation was wrapping up, he said "Hey! Let me introduce you to my wife."
What I was expecting: To walk over and be introduced with a simple "Hey, this is my buddy, Jeff."

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3 Signs It's Time To Hire A Social Skills Coach

2/9/2020

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Social Skills Coach
Early in Kobe Bryant’s career, legendary coach Phil Jackson pulled him aside one day and encouraged him to spend more time with his teammates rather than in his hotel room studying game tape. 

By 2009, Kobe was a leader on the court and in the locker room.

The Lakers won a championship that season.

As a social skills coach, I love that lesson - that all of us (whether we like it or not) - connected to and influenced by others.

But let’s dig a little deeper...

What made Kobe great?
​
  • Talent? Check.
  • A mind for the game? Check.
  • Going to the gym at 4 AM? Check.

All those things matter, but every other elite NBA player did those things too.

So what was Kobe’s secret weapon?

He realized that he didn’t have to do it all on his own.

He had his team and coaches there to support him.

No one is a 10/10 in ALL areas of life. - we all need help from our peers, our mentors, and our coaches.

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4 Ways A Social Confidence Coach Can Help You Improve Socially

2/8/2019

 
Social Confidence Coach
What do LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Mike Trout all have in common?

They all make millions of dollars by tossing or hitting a ball?

Close.

They all have coaches.

Behind every top performer someone who can give that person perspective that they need.

Sure, pro athletes have coaches, but what if you're wanting to perform at a high level in your business, career, or social life?

Is there such a thing as a social confidence coach?

Absolutely. 
​
Cough...I am one...cough.

I want to walk you through 4 ways a social confidence coach can help you level up your social skills.

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8 Uncommon Tips To Make A Great First Impression

11/14/2018

 
How To Make A Great First Impression
​If you've ever wondered how to make a great first impression you're not alone. 

Here are a few messages from my readers who want to master first impressions. 
First Impression Question
First Impression Question
First Impression Question
It’s okay if you’ve made some cringe worthy first impressions. 

Take this gem from my wife:

A few years ago she was at her boss' house for a party. ​

She was joking around with some of her coworkers, who were on the other side of the room. 

She playfully extends her middle finger.

At that PRECISE MOMENT her boss' father turns around and intercepts the middle finger.

​I imagine that space and time slowed down while my wife watched him go through different emotions. Confusion, disbelief, denial, shock, sadness, and finally disdain. 

After the fabric of reality had stabilized, he looked away while saying "How RUDE."

This story makes me laugh every time.

First impressions are crucial:
  • When you walk into an interview for your dream job. 
  • When you meet your significant other’s family. 
  • When you meet a potential business partner for your company. 

Here’s the deal with first impressions: after people make up their mind about you, (Some studies say in as little as 1/10th of a second) they use confirmation bias to only look for evidence to back up their initial impression. 

I’m not here to sugar coat things. I’m here to supercharge your people skills.

So what can you do to reliably create great first impressions with almost everyone you meet?

Here Are 8 Uncommon Tips To Make A Great First Impression

​It all starts with your mindset because 80% of the work is done before you ever shake hands...

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Confident Conversations: How To Join & Enjoy Any Conversation

10/25/2018

 
CONFIDENT CONVERSATIONS
Wouldn't it be awesome to know you could walk into any conference, event or happy hour and have confident conversations with any person you meet?

I know my readers do...

"I’d love to feel confident in social situations and know that I can carry conversations." 
​What's funny to me is how most people approach getting better.

What most people do: 

1. Wing it.
2. Don't improve.
3. Wonder why they don't improve...probably eat Cheetos.
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What top performers do:

1. Get barely enough information.
2. Don't overthink it.
3. Act rapidly.

When you're learning how to communicate with confidence, it's crucial to take action quickly. The great thing about people skills is that you get plenty of chances to practice.

Let's talk about a time where I wasn't a top performer...

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Confident Communication: 3 Skills That Will Supercharge Your Message Next Time You Speak Up

10/23/2018

 
Confident communication
Ever notice how life seems effortless for people who have a little extra confidence?  
  
  • When they're in meetings, more often than not people go for their ideas.
  • When they go to a conference, they're usually seen having a great time with a group of new friends.
  • When they pitch a new client, you can almost see the client's mouthwatering.

So what's the deal? Are these people mutants who have these unattainable traits that you can't have?

HELL NO!

Whether you’re leading a meeting, pitching a new client, or starting conversations at happy hour, confident communication is one of the most important skills you can have.

Each of the following three skill is powerful but I recommend stacking all three skills for maximum impact.

1. Eliminate Qualifying Words
Confident communication killers

You're in a meeting, your boss asks you a straightforward question about next steps on a project.

"Well, I just think that we maybe should consider...”

You trail off. 

Somewhere I am softly weeping while lighting a candle in memory of your fallen confidence and credibility.
  • "Just"
  • "Kinda"
  • "I think"
  • "Maybe"
  • “Does that make sense?”
How many times have you left a conversation feeling like you cut yourself off at the knees, and didn't say what needed to be said?

Did you water down your message until it's unrecognizable?

(This is a "hidden truth" that almost NO ONE acknowledges, but everyone feels.)

When we use timid language we get timid results...the ripple effects are wide-ranging:
​
  • We don’t win people over. 
  • We don’t inspire confidence in others. 
  • People don’t look to us as leaders. 

In the short term, we may not persuade people at the meeting, but spread out over 20-30 years, it can have a gigantic impact on our life's trajectory.

So what can we do to fix it? I want you to repeat after me:

“It is okay to present myself confidently.”

Step one: admitting to yourself that it's OKAY to test a new approach.

Step two: addition by subtraction. In most cases, you'll delete confidence undercutting words from your vocabulary.

This is simple, but not easy. 

At first, you'll use the same timid words, only this time, you'll notice them.

Over time, you'll be able to use alternatives or (in most cases) stop using those qualifying words altogether.

Use this action step to help:

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The Ultimate Guide To Joining & Enjoying Group Conversations (Updated)

10/8/2018

 
 
Over the last few months I’ve received dozens of emails from people who are struggling with how to have better group conversation​s.

This guide will help you when it comes to:
  1. Joining group conversations
  2. Contributing in group conversations
Years ago I remember worrying about:
  • What kind of conversation starters do I need to join a group?
  • What other people were thinking of me.
  • Trying to come up with the perfect thing to say, not saying it, and replaying events...and overthinking every step of the way.
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Tell me if these ring true for you:

“I just feel like I’ll be bothering them if I walk up and start talking…”

“What if they all know each other?!”

“I don’t want to have to be LOUD and interrupt people! it’s just not who I am...”

That’s why I created this guide for you, to help you smoothly join a group so that you can…

...meaningfully contribute to group conversations at work without feeling awkward and self conscious.

...Easily make new friends and contacts at a conference.

...feel comfortable and enjoy group conversations at a party.

And on a deeper level:

...have options of who you surround yourself with. Which as it turns out, has a huge influence on success

...feel like you are the kind of person who can thrive in social situations (which will make it more likely that you will thrive even more in group conversations, creating a virtuous cycle)

In this guide you’ll find some of the best strategies for joining and contributing in group conversations.

To create this guide, I pulled from my experience having 90,000 conversations over 11 years...but I knew that wouldn’t be enough.

I also did a LOT of research into what works and what doesn’t.

The result?

You don’t have to look in 100 different places and piece together quality, actionable information.

It’s all right here for you.
​

Let’s swan-dive in…

No Time To Read The Guide?
Download The Audio!

Click the button below to get an audio copy.

​Listen and learn anywhere. 

​(And get a
free word for word script builder worksheet so you can start joining group conversations today.)
Download Audio
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How To Start And End Conversations With Anyone [A Quick & Easy Guide]

10/7/2018

0 Comments

 
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Have you ever been at a conference, a cookout, or a networking event and you felt that twinge that says "You should talk to that person".

At this point, like a split in the road we have two choices:

A. Check your instagram for the 231st time today.

B. Start that conversation.

When we meet new people, we get to expand our circle of people. This could lead to a business partnership, a new best friend, or a new client. But you'll never know unless you open your mouth.

There’s a phrase my mentor likes to say:

“90% of the work is done before you enter the room.”

It’s easier to start a conversation after you’ve had a successful conversation.

But how do you start those conversations?

Enter Conversational Muscle Memory.

Conversational Muscle Memory is built on the idea that when you start small, low-stakes conversations throughout your day, it's easier to start more conversations because you’ve built momentum.

Once you’ve built that momentum, it’ll be easier to start a conversation with that one person you really want to talk to at happy hour.

I explain more in this video:

Read More
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Get The Friends You Want With Paul Sanders

8/16/2018

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Paul Sanders Get The Friends You Want
On this episode of BMC Radio, the podcast where I help you supercharge your charisma and people skills I have my friend Paul Sanders (@PaulSandersSCP) from Get The Friends You Want.

Paul Sanders is a friendship & social skills coach, and author of the "Get The Friends You Want" book. He helps people overcome social hesitation, master conversation and social skills, make friends and build a social circle. 

In an age where human connection seems to be tipping more screen than face, I think honing your friendship skills is only getting more important, especially if you're working remote, or starting a business and don't have the traditional 9-5 office culture to fall back on.

In this conversation, we talk about how to build a friendship circle, how to easily connect and build rapport with many different types of people, books on social dynamics, and much more.

Free gift for BMC listeners:

7 Most Common Mistakes Peoples People Make When They Try To Improve Their Social Life (And How To Avoid Them)

Highlights:

  • 11:45 - Paul’s advice on how to make friends and build a friendship circle.
  • 25:00 - The compound effect of stacking different people skills.
  • 28:09 - Acquire new knowledge and culture so that you’ll be able to connect with many different types of people.

Listening Options

Listen to Stitcher

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How To Make Friends With Rob Riker

7/24/2018

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How To Make Friends With Rob Riker - become more compelling radio
On this episode of Become More Compelling Radio, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Rob Riker (@robertgriker) from The Social Winner. 

Over the last few months, I've seen a lot of questions about making friends...  
  
  • "How do I make friends?"
  • "How can I build my friendship circle?"
  • "What's the best way to make plans with a new friend?"
​
This podcast will answer all these questions and more. If you've ever wanted a solid strategy around making new friends and connections, this podcast episode is for you. After listening, you'll be able to make new friends on command.

Rob has been featured in Business Insider, Lifehack, The Friend Formula, and Tiny Buddha.

I like Rob's insights on friendship and creating a fulfilling, lasting social circle:

Friend hits me up out of the blue. We hang out and I’m so glad we did.

Lesson here: be like my friend. Be proactive and stop waiting for others to do the work.

Even if nothing comes from it, you’re nourishing the relationship. Win/win.

— Rob Riker (@robertgriker) May 25, 2018

Free gift for BMC readers:

Get Rob's free 8 lesson course on how to make new friends this month here.

Highlights:

19:56 - How to bridge the gap between acquaintances and meeting up a second time
26:15 - The crucial time to swap contact info
34:29 - Should you initiate plans with friends or wait for them to initiate plans?​​

Listening  Options:

Listen to Stitcher

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