Debra Fine - The Fine Art of Small Talk

Business Networking Skills for the Home Based Business Owner By Debra Fine Venturing out to do “networking” becomes even more challenging when you are a home-based businessperson. As a home base business owner myself, I understand the challenges. Most of our human interaction is via the Internet, telephone of fax. We become unaccustomed to interacting face to face, especially with people we don’t know. First and foremost we must take the risk of attending association, industry, education or chamber of commerce events. I make reservations and block out the time and date. No excuses, I paid, now I must attend! I make myself do this at least twice a month. When I don’t discipline myself to do this I fall into a rut. Never meeting new people. Never expanding my educational horizons. Once I arrive at the event I employ the following conversational skills and techniques: Be the first to say “Hello”. Introduce yourself.  Act as if you’re the host behavior and introduce new a...

Building Business Relationships With a Little Work, Business Networking Skills Can Work for You! By Debra Fine Although you may enjoy your work, you may hate going to business-related social events with clients, colleagues and others in your field. You are not alone. Many people feel anxious and nervous when entering a room filled with unfamiliar faces, but you no longer have to be one of those people. These events can be great opportunities for developing new relationships and broadening business networks, plus they can be fun and enjoyable. Networking skills are essential for any business professional striving for success. Many technically oriented professionals, engineers, lawyers, and CPA’s included, are great at the technical aspects of their jobs, but often find it difficult to strike up a conversation with an executive from the home office during the ten minute coffee break. The pressure to keep a conversation going once it has started is often enough to keep m...

Business Networking Skills For Conventions Business Networking Skills for Conventions and Meetings By Debra Fine Do you dread networking events, open houses and other business related social events? Does attending another open house make you want to run inside your own and lock the door? For business professionals, these occasions represent opportunities to develop business friendships and broaden networks. Here are a few techniques business people can use to improve their small talk skills: Be the first to say “Hello!” and introduce yourself.  Act as if you’re the host and introduce new arrivals to your conversational partner or partners. Get somebody to talk  about why they’re attending the event and you’re on your way to engaging them in conversation. Listen carefully  for information that can keep the conversation going. Play the conversation “game”.  When someone asks, “How’s business?” or “What’s going on?” Answer with more than “Not much”....

Business Networking Skills! By Debra Fine Learn how to make the most of meetings, interviews, and networking events or of entertaining clients at conventions, trade shows, and other work-related functions. Do you dread receptions, banquets, and other business-related social events? Does attending another open house make you want to run inside your own and lock the door? You’re not alone. Many of us are apprehensive about these situations, because most of us either hate entering rooms where we don’t know anyone or hate spending time with people we don’t know well. Keeping a conversation going during such occasions is an ordeal. But for business professionals, these occasions represent opportunities to develop business friendships and broaden networks. Whether you realize it or not, networking happens all the time. During an awkward social gathering, demanding sales presentation, or a tough interview, small talk can turn a challenging situation into a success. Small talk conn...

Interviewing Skills / Career Building Tips Developing Better Interviewing Skills By Debra Fine There are several dimensions to developing better interviewing skills you may want to consider. Appearance Content Knowledge and Skills Personal Presence Connection with the Interviewer Career Context Appearance  — What is the culture of the organization in terms of appearance? It helps to look the part. Content Knowledge and Skills  — Have you demonstrated exactly how the knowledge and skills you have relate to the organization’s needs? Do not expect them to translate your experience into their world. You need to do this, credibly. First, make sure you understand what their needs are, and then make sure you speak specifically to how your experience and skills will add value to the organization. Personal Presence  — When someone comes into my office for an interview flustered, harried, bored, or looking very self-conscious, it detracts from their suc...

The  “Feel Good”  Factor: Customer Service Skills That Make a Big Difference By Debra Fine People part with their money for two reasons. One, you can solve a problem for them. Two, because you make them feel good in the process. Look at it this way. It’s hard to quickly evaluate the expertise of a new dentist. But you immediately know which one makes you feel more comfortable. You can take lessons from a highly qualified ski instructor. But if his silence makes you feel awkward while riding the chair lift together, you’ll switch instructors. When Super K-Mart and Target carry the same items at about the same prices and they’re located close together, where do you buy? You choose the store where the returns are simpler, the people are friendlier, and the appearance is cleaner where you are made to feel more welcome. The “feel good” factor underlies every aspect of life. Even in the area of parent-teacher conferences, if your child’s teacher delivers negative feedbac...

Tips For Making Small Talk Success By Debra Fine Stanford University School of Business conducted a study that monitored a group of MBAs 10 years after graduation. What did they learn? That their ability to converse had a huge impact on their success and grade point averages had no bearing whatsoever. The ability to connect with others through small talk can lead to big things, according to Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk (Hyperion 2005). A former engineer, Fine recalls being so ill at ease at networking events and even the 10 minute coffee break during a meeting that she would hide in the restroom. Now a motivational speaker, Fine believes the ability to develop relationships with people through small talk is an acquired skill. Fine offers the following tips for starting − and ending conversations: Come up with three things to talk when preparing for a function along with a couple generic questions that will get others talking. If you’ve met the clien...

How to Make a Good First Impression By Debra Fine Meeting new people and starting conversations is often challenging. It can be difficult to enter a room and view strangers everywhere you turn. Meeting all these people and engaging in conversation with them can be exhausting and overwhelming. But it does not have to be this way. Skilled conversationalists turn business and social interactions into opportunities for making a good first impression and ultimately an opportunity for success! You can use conversational skills as a tool with which to build new connections, while avoiding awkward pauses and uncomfortable conversations. After all, making a good first impression is all about making others feel good when spending time with each of you. Great conversationalists are made, not born. The following tips will help you make a positive impression every time: Don’t rush through conversations.  Take your time, and be sure to remember names and use them frequently during ...