Gold Nugget: Learn from Bad Examples

Nugget: Learn from Bad Examples

We can learn from bad examples of conversation by observing those who bore us and others.

Here are examples of what they do:

10 Ways People Bore Others

1. They talk about things you already know, wornout topics, "yesterday's newspaper."

2. They use many dead cliches and vague words like "stuff"

3. They speak with a monotone voice that drones on without variation.

4. They are "unlively" and have very little animation in body or face.

5. They spare no details; tell us more than we want to know. "The secret of being a bore...is to tell everything." --Voltaire.

6. They tend to be certain and not open to the different ideas of others. "A finished person is a boring person."

--Anna Quindlen

7. They are predictable in manner, topics, and ideas. No surprises, ever. "We must not stay as we are, doing always what was done last time; or we shall stick in the mud." --George Bernard Shaw

8. They talk only about themselves and are not curious about you.

9. They talk at length without checking to see if you're interested.

10. They keep conversation on a superficial, small talk level.

If you feel bored by someone, notice what they do. Ask yourself, "Do I also do that?" If yes, add that behavior to your "Stop Doing" list and eliminate it.

Until next week, Loren

Until next week,

Loren