5 things I try to take from every conversation by Michael Roderick on May 3, 2016, 4:18 PM Advertisement
 When meeting someone for the first time, the flow of a conversation can be a very tricky thing. In some cases, the person on the other end of the table doesn’t seem at all interested in what you have to say, or is only answering in one word sentences. Often the conversation ends with both of you feeling frustrated — or worse, feeling like your time has been wasted. Many times the reason these conversations die has to do with the fact that one person has exhausted one concept and won’t step away from it. When I started noticing this trend in my own conversations, I began to experiment and identified five things I could focus on learning about the other person that led not only to deeper and more engaged conversations, but also made it possible for me to connect them with people who could help them. Here are the five things I try to address in every conversation: SEE ALSO: How to feel more comfortable with networking, no matter where you are Professional In most one-on-one meetings, this is the topic of choice. You will talk about what your business is, how you make money, and who good referral partners are. This is also one of the most comfortable because it feels the least intrusive. It’s likely the reason that the No. 1 question you get when you meet someone is “What do you do?” Because it’s the most common, it is also the area where it’s easy to get lazy with your questions. It’s important to listen and make your questions about their business as specific as possible.
 Personal Finding out the most basic personal thing can completely change the flow of a conversation. If you ask someone where they live and you live in the same area, there’s a bonding moment that the two of you can share that you may have missed. Many people shy away from personal questions because they feel that it has no place in business, but often the more you learn about who someone actually is, the more comfortable they feel doing business together. It is important to make sure that you don’t get too personal, of course. Use your judgment about what is and is not off-limits.
Inspirational Asking someone about what inspires them can open up a rich and deep discussion filled with personal and professional stories. One of the best stories you can have someone tell is an origin story, because you get to hear why they started their company and why it’s important to them. This can help you identify good referral partners and also what could help this person down the road. The only place where this may not work is when someone is doing a job that they are actually not passionate about, in which case you’ll want to focus on what does inspire and excite them outside of their business.
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