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Notes on How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends by Don Gabor

1. Body Language
   1. Smile
   2. Open Posture
   3. Forward Lean
   4. Touch
   5. Eye Contact
   6. Nod
2. Starting
   1. Risk Versus Rejection
      1. Change from passive to active
      2. Look for receptivity
   2. Ask easy-to-answer ritual questions
      1. Break the ice - a compliment followed by a ritual question
      2. Make questions open ended
      3. Use free information revealed
      4. Reveal free information of your own
   3. Know what to say by listening (active listening)
      1. Don't think - listen
      2. Don't parrot back what is said
      3. Merge old knowledge with new information
      4. Ask for and think of examples relevant to what is being said
      5. Anticipate
      6. Summarize
      7. Listen for more under the surface and use questions to get to it
      8. Good listening requires practice and concentration
   4. Seek more based on free information
      1. Allow the other person the option of not answering personal questions
      2. Avoid taboos
   5. Disclose free information
      1. Exercise discretion
      2. Consider what you really have to lose
      3. Four levels of self-disclosure
         1. Cliché
         2. Basic personal facts
         3. Personal opinions and preferences
         4. Personal feelings
      4. Reveal a little at a time and in context
      5. Be realistic and be yourself
      6. Reveal your goals
      7. Let someone get to know you
3. Keeping the conversation going
   1. Focus on the situation at hand
      1. Look outward - not inward
      2. Situation is a series of concentric circles (immediate environment > neighborhood)
   2. Find the person's big life events
      1. Hot buttons
      2. Share your hot buttons
      3. Seek common interests
   3. Balance two-way exchange
      1. Balance talking and listening
      2. Balance information exchange
   4. Discuss topics that are important to you
   5. Change topics using free information
      1. Refer to free information ("I heard you mention earlier. . .")
      2. When necessary, change the subject
      3. Listen for key words, facts, and details and remember them
4. Opening Channels
   1. Tell others the purpose of the conversation
   2. Develop respect for others
   3. Consider other people's feelings
   4. Accept the other person's sense of relevancy
5. Closing Conversations
   1. Briefly summarize main ideas discussed
   2. Consider planning a specific future meeting
   3. Use person's name when saying goodbye
   4. Problem conversations
      1. Use directed questions to avoid a complainers problem areas
      2. Use repetitive "not interested" response with manipulative salespeople
6. Remembering names
   1. Concentrate at the introduction & repeat the name outloud
   2. Take a mental picture of the moment of introduction
   3. Associate the name with an outstanding feature
   4. Associate the new name with a known person of the same name
   5. Make a letter chain of the first letters of each name
7. Improving Conversations
   1. Silence is okay
   2. Use encouragement and positive feedback - don't criticize
   3. Look for the lesson in criticisms
   4. Ask for what you want directly
8. Overcoming Hangups
   1. Arguing - don't assume everything you know is absolutely true
   2. Stereotyping - separate isolated behaviour from total personality
   3. Being non-assertive - ask for what you want (you have the right to say no and not feel guilty about it)
   4. False modesty - it's okay to say you don't know & ask to be filled in
   5. Copping out - don't put yourself down
9. Making friends
   1. Develop trust
   2. To meet people, go to where you have fun
   3. Meet people with common interests
   4. Keep it friendly and light at first
   5. Keep an inventory of facts and details about the person
   6. Plan an activity around a common interest
   7. Maintain contact with people you like
   8. Make the other person feel important
   9. Be open to new experiences
   10. Share activities with friends
   11. Friendships grow over time
   12. "The only way to have a friend is to be one." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

50 ways to improve your conversation

1. Be the first to say hello.
2. Introduce yourself to others.
3. Take risks. Don't anticipate rejection.
4. Display your sense of humor.
5. Be receptive to new ideas.
6. Make an extra effort to remember people's names.
7. Ask a person's name if you have forgotten it.
8. Show curiosity and interest in others.
9. Tell other people about the important events in your life.
10. Tell others about yourself, and what your likes are.
11. Show others that you are a good listener by restating their comments in another manner.
12. Communicate enthusiasm and excitement about things and life in general to those you meet.
13. Go out of your way to meet new people.
14. Accept a person's right to be an individual.
15. Let the natural you come out when talking to others.
16. Be able to tell others what you do in a few short sentences.
17. Reintroduce yourself to someone who has forgotten your name.
18. Be able to tell others something interesting or challenging about what you do.
19. Be aware of open and closed body language.
20. Use eye contact and smiling as your first contact with people.
21. Greet people you see regularly.
22. Seek common interests, goals, and experiences in the people you meet.
23. Make an effort to help people if you can.
24. Let others play the expert.
25. Be open to answering common ritual questions.
26. Get enthusiastic about other people's interests.
27. Balance the giving and receiving of information.
28. Be able to speak about a variety of topics and subjects.
29. Keep abreast of current events and the issues that affect all of our lives.
30. Be open to other people's opinions and feelings.
31. Express your feelings, opinions, and emotions to others.
32. Use "I" and speak of your feelings when you talk about personal things.
33. Don't use the word "you" when you mean "I."
34. Show others that you are enjoying your conversations with them.
35. Invite people to join you for dinner, social events, or other activities for companionship.
36. Keep in touch with friends and acquaintances.
37. Ask other people their opinions.
38. Look for the positive in those you meet.
39. Start and end your conversation with a person's name and a handshake or warm greeting.
40. Take time to be cordial with your neighbors and co-workers.
41. Let others know that you want to get to know them better.
42. Ask others about things they have told you in previous conversations.
43. Listen carefully for free information.
44. Be tolerant of other people's beliefs if they differ from yours.
45. Change the topic of conversation when it has run its course.
46. Always search for another person's "hot button."
47. Compliment others about what they are wearing, doing, or saying.
48. Encourage others to talk with you by sending out receptivity signals.
49. Make an effort to see and talk to people you enjoy and have fun with.
50. When you tell a story, present the main point first, and then add the supporting details afterward.