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The 4 L’s of Being a Great Conversationalist

Someone recently asked if my experience as a moderator – which is basically a professional conversationalist – has made me extraordinary in social situations. I hadn’t considered it before, but when I did, I realized that the answer is a resounding no, definitely not, not even close. The truth is I’m still a bit awkward in social situations with strangers, at least until that first glass of wine. My profession only makes me more aware of it.

There are a lot of reasons we freeze up in social situations – anxiety, insecurity, introversion, high school cafeteria flashbacks, or just a lack of knowing where to start. It may seem like the people you come across who are extroverted, outgoing, or chatty have a leg up on you, but those qualities do not necessarily make someone a great conversationalist. After digging deep into my professional experience, here are the four L’s of being a great conversationalist that may help you, and me, be better in social situations.

Lead
Put down your pitchforks, fellow researchers. I don’t mean asking leading questions which would be terrible advice coming from a moderator (“You’d be a total moron if you didn’t love this concept, so tell me all the many things you love about it.”). A little preparation can be the difference between you confidently leading a conversation and hiding in the corner hoping that no human approaches you.

Any good moderator has some generic, but useful, questions in their back pocket for all situations – “What is your overall reaction to this?” “What, if anything, do you like about it?” “What, if anything, don’t you like about it?” Having your own standard questions or conversation starters will give you the confidence to approach someone new and lead a conversation. Try to go beyond what they do for a living or how they know the host of the party. Here’s some questions you can try:
• Have you traveled anywhere interesting recently?
• What do you enjoy the most about your work? What do you the enjoy least?
• Tell me about your family/ hometown/best friend/pets/favorite movie.
• If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? (Just kidding, this is a dumb question. Don’t ask this.)

Listen
You know that jerk at a networking event that asks you which college you went to because he just can’t wait to tell you that he’s a Harvard man? Don’t be that jerk. Your motivation for asking questions should never be the hope that you get asked the same question so you can tell your story. People notice when you do this and it makes them feel unheard and uninteresting.

When you ask a question, listen to the response. It seems like a no brainer, but it can be challenging to zip it and just listen. Make eye contact, nod, shake your head, or laugh, and do it genuinely and appropriately. These cues show that you are listening and acknowledging their response. The person may ask you the same question, a different one, or nothing at all, and that’s okay.

Learn
When I’m moderating, my job is to not only listen to what people say but to then synthesize that information and turn it into insights or learnings. Fortunately, you don’t have to go that far in social situations, but there is something to be said about going beyond just listening.

Pay attention to what they say and ask follow-up questions to get more information. This not only shows that you are listening and engaged, but it creates an opportunity for you to learn something new – about this person, their experience, about society.

Asking “why” is a great follow-up question, but be careful not to sound like a toddler who just learned the word. Here’s an example of how to do it right:

You: “Have you traveled anywhere interesting recently?”
• Them: “Yes and no. I went to Denmark a few months ago which is an interesting place, but it was a work trip so I didn’t get to see many sights.”
• You: (resisting saying “I went to Denmark last year and here’s a full summary of MY experience…!!!) “Why did your work send you there?”
• Them: “I work for a toy distributor and I had a meeting with Lego, which is headquartered in Denmark.”
• You: “I didn’t know that. You learn something new every day.”
• Them: “You sure do, especially when you ask such thoughtful questions. Would you like to be my new best friend?”
• You: “Yes please.”

Liquor
I’m only kind of joking with this one. It doesn’t work for every situation, but if you are in one where alcohol is being served, get yourself a drink. Liquid courage can make it easier to approach strangers and start up a conversation. Not to mention that you avoid the “What do I normally do with my hands? Why do they hang so awkwardly?” question when you have a drink in one hand.

Heed this advice, though. Just have one drink to kick things off, don’t over do it. You don’t want to be the gal dancing on the table wearing a lamp shade. Trust me.

conversation

3 Truths You Need to Know About Millennials if You Want Their Brand Love

Millennials were once considered an enigma generation. They were a new type of consumer that the market was not prepared for. Their digital nativeness and mobile connectivity set them apart from all other generations of consumers. We have come a long way since then. Now, many brands have figured out how to bridge the gap between the digital world and physical consumer culture to create an engaging brand experience that relates to young consumers between the ages of 18 and 34. Continue reading

Don’t Forget about Dad!

When talking about marketing to parents, there is a lot of talk about mom. As the household decision maker in most households, most brands tend to target mom when it comes to family goods and services. But, that’s only half the battle. In today’s market, dads are quickly gaining a much stronger presence in the household. Gone are the days of dad as breadwinner and mom as homemaker. Millennial parents are more likely than previous generations to embrace a partnership parenting style. According to our research, 82 percent of first-time fathers feel they share childcare responsibilities evenly with their significant others. Continue reading

Marketing to Millennial Parents Means Embracing Content Marketing

In the digital age, modern consumers connect with brands on a variety of different platforms. That is even more heightened for consumers in the Millennial generation. According to the 2014 Nielson study, When Screens Collide: Viewer Behaviors in Multi-Screen Environments, 92 percent of Millennials surveyed used a smartphone or tablet while watching TV and 47 percent used those devices to access content related to what they were watching on TV. What does this constant connection mean for marketers? Continue reading

Changing Family Dynamics Define Millennial Parents

When we think about Millennials, the first things that come to mind are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – social media in general – selfies, celebrity gossip, unemployment, student loan debt…and so much more. What probably does not come to mind right off the bat is parenthood. However, Millennials are quickly becoming the largest generation in the United States and one in four of those Millennials are already parents, and as parents like to go outside with their children, parent and child parking bay markings are really important for them. Continue reading

What Motivates Millennial Shoppers? Price and Convenience.

If you could only shop at one store for the rest of your life, would you pick Amazon, Walmart, or Target?

Did you answer Walmart?

If you did, you are like the majority of Millennial parents according to the Millennials as New Parents study. How did Walmart beat out e-commerce giant Amazon and Millennial favorite Target? Simple. Walmart meets Millennial parent consumer needs regarding price and convenience. Sure, what’s more convenient than ordering toilet paper on Amazon while in your jammies? Getting it now. While quality still plays a significant role in the purchase decision for big-ticket items and products that affect the well-being of the family, traditional retail and grocery purchases are typically based on two things for Millennial parents: price and convenience. Continue reading

Millennial Parents Live in the Ization Nation

We get asked all the time what is it about the Millennial generation that makes them so different. Aside from their ability to navigate through digital, mobile, and social environments with ease, Millennials have the strongest desire among all consumer groups to have personalized, democratized, and customized brand experiences (see what we did there – Ization Nation?). What exactly does that mean? Essentially, Millennials do not want to be considered just another face in the crowd. In order to connect with this powerful group of consumers, you must make an effort to connect with the individual and create personal experiences that Millennials can share with their networks. Continue reading

How Uber Adapted to the New Millennial Path to Purchase

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times: Millennials are different. They consume media differently, they interact with brands differently, and – this just in – they purchase differently. Unlike the olden days when there were fewer brands and product types to choose from, not mention limited stores that carried what you were looking for, Millennial have tons of choices and a world of information at their fingertips. The path to purchase, or decision-making process for shoppers, has gone from a fairly basic, linear path to a much more complex, non-linear adventure. Continue reading

Millennial Moms are More Private Than You Think

We all know those people who are constantly posting to social media, updating their followers about every minute detail of their lives – what they had for breakfast, where they bought new bath towels, who they saw at the grocery store, etc. More often than not, these chronic over-sharers are Millennials. As a generation that came of age during the digital evolution, these young adults navigate social media fluidly with little regard to privacy concerns. Or so we thought. Continue reading

Millennial Parent Orbits: Under Stress (Part 5 of 5)

We’re excited to present the fifth and final orbit in our five-part Millennial Parent Orbit blog series. Before we jump into this last orbit, let’s talk about what drives so many Millennial parents: convenience. Their shopping habits are often based on what is available to them immediately and in the most convenient way possible. According to the Millennials as New Parents report, before becoming parents, one in six respondents was significantly more likely to make a purchase decision based on quality rather than price for dining and entertainment. After having kids, that drops to only one in eleven. Continue reading