【口译】what makes a good conversation.docx

What Makes a Good Conversation?Recently, a friend phoned me. She’s one of those people who could talk under wet cement. I’ve discovered that I can even put the phone down and attend to something in another room while she’s talking and she doesn’t even notice. A second friend phoned me that night. I was very tired, but I soon forgot my weariness as we animatedly shared our opinions, beliefs and personal experiences. Time flew, and as I went to bed very late that night, I thought “Now, that was a really good conversation!”It occurred to me that it might be an interesting topic to research for my speech tonight. So I asked some of my friends what they thought made a good conversation.They had different suggestions, but all agreed on three main points: Mutual interest, Give and Take, Trust.Let’s look at the first oneMutual Interest. A conversation has to be of interest to all concerned. As one friend suggested, it’s when two or more people voluntarily explore the topic. But how can we be sure that we are not boring others? We need to be sensitive to the cues our listener gives us. Someone suggested if he is pulling away from your grip, or standing on tiptoe making desperate signals to someone else he probably wants out!All my friends agreed that a conversation thrives on the balance of giving and taking. Conversations are the building blocks of a relationship, one told me. If it leans too far in one direction, the relationship will topple. We agreed that giving and taking can be done both through speaking and listening. Through talking we can entertain, inform, advise, and share personal experiences. We fulfill our listener’s emotional needs when we sympathize, praise or reassure him.By listening attentively we can make the other person feel good about himself, We give him an outlet for his pent up feelings, and a sounding board for his ideas.Since most people would rather talk than listen this means we sometimes have to give up our desire to speak in favor of the other