
By Alison Riggan
We’ve all had them, those conversations that last 5 seconds and consist entirely of niceties and nothing of substance. We have been conditioned as a society to give auto-responses without a second thought, sacrificing quality conversation. But what happens if we throw a curveball into the conversation?
I recently stumbled upon a comedic article by Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker that challenges people to break the mold of standard conversations and “turn small talk into smart conversation” by:
• Asking for stories, not answers
• Breaking the mirror (stop blindly agreeing out of politeness)
• Leapfrogging over the expected response
After reading this article, I realized how guilty I am of contributing to an endless cycle of bland conversations. I am challenging myself to throw a curveball in at least one conversation a day and I challenge you to do the same.
Read this article for a good laugh as well as to find some conversation inspiration.