I have revised, refined, and streamlined 2 products that I've

tested for several years. The "Getting To Know You" conversation kit is especially effective for churches, associations, and charitable organizations so that members can know one another better.

The unique Class Reunion Better Conversation kit is designed for a social time where classmates can share meaningful experiences and turning points from their school days "During High School" and also significant life events "After High School." Perfect for the program committee.

Both kits are downloadable and are easy to prepare and use.

They contain simple guidelines for hosting a conversation event

and interesting starter cards that take the conversation beyond superficial small talk. Both have a full money-back guarantee.

(For further details, visit www.conversationmatters.com and click Conversation Products link. Ordering online is simple and easy.)

"Most of us tend to suffer from 'agenda anxiety', the feeling that what we want to say to others is more important than what we think they might want to say to us."

--Nido Quebein, professional speaker, President of High Point University (North Carolina)

The coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic

events.

(The term often appears in the writings of Dr. Carl Gustav Jung.)

Example sentence:

"As I was thinking of my cousin in Wisconsin, the phone rang and it was him. Must be synchronicity. This cousin hadn't called me in 15 years!"

"As I was thinking of my cousin in Wisconsin, the phone rang and it was him. Must be synchronicity. This cousin hadn't

An amazing link: http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

In about one minute you'll learn the changing numbers of the world population, economies, climates, diseases, etc. Fascinating!

Thanks for this link to Dr. Michael Brein, "The Travel Psychologist." See his world city-guides and travel resources at www.michaelbrein.com

Sauna (from the Finnish) SOW-nah

Definition: Human furnace wherein Finns avoid the influenza and men avoid meeting each other's gaze.

From The Dictionary of Modern Life (2010)

Some months ago I dined with old friends at an outstanding buffet of French cuisine offered by the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas: We had delicious entrees from the various regions of France. Some dishes, like the crepes, were prepared to order from fresh ingredients. In all, we had a leisurely repast, sharing our lives among friends in a hospitable venue. Later, I pondered the question: "How often do we have 'gourmet conversations' made especially for us of fresh ingredients?" Too rarely, I thought, based on my observations.

In our hurry-up world, we are more likely to have pre-packaged 'fast-food' conversations that are predictable and forgettable. Just as it is easier to pick up take-out dinner from Boston Market or the Olive Garden, it is also easier to interact by using conversational routines that others can barely taste with their minds and hearts.

I thought of gourmet conversations such as those that give pleasure and satisfaction, and not merely basic nourishment. Their purpose is not to accomplish a task, but to provide enjoyment. I thought that to co-create and enjoy a gourmet conversation, at least these 5 factors would be required:

1. Time that allows persons to savor the feast of words and experiences. How much time? "Enough" to eliminate the rush and establish a sense of leisure. A 45-minute "power lunch" doesn't work very well, nor does a brisk chat by the water cooler. Time must be adequate for the purpose of communing with each other for enjoyment.

2. Place: An ambiance that supports personal talk. Also needed, a place where people are not only left alone to talk, but are even supported in doing so, as in a restaurant where wait-staff is available but not intrusive. A park-bench can serve nicely, or a living room without TV or clatter. Many other settings will serve the purpose so long as they allow and don't distract from comfortable talk. (Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks, says he got his business idea while traveling in Italy and seeing how often friends came together for the pleasure of coffee and talk.)

3. Fresh talk ingredients "in season": New ideas and expressions that delight. Ideas that complement one another and are of special interest. No fast-food or warmed-up left-overs. Instead, specific and personal insights, reflections, memories that delight. Newly harvested knowledge, shared with eager listeners.

4. One or two persons (or a group) who appreciate the enjoyments of talk that is adapted to the listeners' interests, background, and understanding. Routine conversation - the convenient norm -- offers a one-size-fits-all experience. But gourmet conversation requires that each one feels spoken to personally. Therefore, The talk must be "other-centered" instead of "me-centered."

5. Some basic rules of civility so that no one tries to dominate or start an argument. Gourmet conversation is more like a dialogue, not a debate, and anyone who wants to talk can have their turns.

Ideally, your fellow talkers will be those who appreciate talk for its own sake and don't need to have a practical purpose. The main goals of this conversation are enjoyment and satisfaction. People who feel goal-driven become impatient with leisurely talk that doesn't move toward a practical end. Conversational partners who urge you to "get to the point" will not enjoy an experience in which there is no "point" except exploration, through talk, of many ideas, experiences, and feelings.

In the pre-television days of my childhood I remember weekend evenings with neighbors and family friends dropping by for coffee and cake and leisurely chats. The conversation itself was the entertainment. My favorite parts were the reminiscences of "the early years" and the stories of adventures and challenges. In my twenties I served in the U. S. Army in Italy and had the pleasure of dining with Italian families I met. Those delightful meals could go

on for two or three hours, and throughout the meals was colorful, enthusiastic talk. Truly "gourmet conversations."

The song "Summertime" from Gershwin's musical Porgy and Bess contains the line "Summertime, and the living is easy . . ." That's the sense of a gourmet conversation. It doesn't feel like work and it evokes pure enjoyment through delightful talk.

(Words this issue: 1,015 Reading time: 3.5 minutes)

1. New Conversation Products! 2. Conversation Quotation 3. Word-a-Week 4. Resourceville 5. Jest Words 6. Article: Gourmet Conversations

2. Conversation Quotation

3. Word-a-Week

4. Resourceville

5. Jest Words

6. Article: Gourmet Conversations

Loren Ekroth ©2010, all rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life.