Small Talk

prevent pregnant pauses with preparation . 101
have a lovely home. Turn that into state-of-the-art flattery
by saying: Your home is lovely. I really like all the photos you
have—they personalize your home and give it a lot of warmth.
Instead of saying, This is a great cup of coffee, consider, I
love the richness of Indonesian Sumatra, and this is a greatsize
mug.
Last but not least, you can notice and compliment
someone else’s behavior. This is the best way to converse
with kids. Instead of noticing when they do something
wrong, try celebrating positive behavior. It’ll go a long
way toward furthering communication with them and
deepening your bond. Kids aren’t the only ones who appreciate
compliments regarding their behavior. Adults
can really open up in the wake of such acknowledgment.
I know a Realtor who took a couple house-hunting
one Sunday. She drove them all over town and probably
showed them over thirty houses. They went in and out
of neighborhoods in town, in the suburbs—the works.
After six hours, they had completely run out of things to
say and still hadn’t found a single house that the couple
was remotely considering. The Realtor was tired and
just about out of ideas. Then she said, I really admire that
you know exactly what you want. You’re not going to settle for
something that you don’t want and then possibly be unhappy