While I was thinking about my free inquiry, recognizing I may be feeling at my ends roll with the subject I chose, I was thinking about the end goal. How can we use technology to support our inquiries? Therefore, I thought about how amazing it would be to practice these conversation skills acquired through research and performance with something low-risk. I wonder, is there such a thing?
Looking on the web, a quick google search for “English conversation practice with robot” rings up 6,510,000 hits! Upon closer look, I think I am fooled because most bots proposed are geared more towards individuals who are learning a language. Regardless, while this is a little beside my needs, I thought it would be interesting to take a peak!
Okay this website gives you a list of 5 bots…. but they don’t look so great.
This robot, named Sandi will actually give you a grade for the quality of your english!
Tokport promotes a free robot inside your chat messengers…. but when you start for free they often include fees later on… oh fees, where are you!?
Herobot, “Learn English without any judgement with a Robot to talk to” !
So there you have it, folks, a list of robots if you wanted to learn to speak English. If you want to learn any language, I trust there’s a bot out there for you!
As an active member of the francophone community, I have had several opportunities to converse with strangers in an informal, casual setting! Perfect for low stakes tĂȘte-Ă -tĂȘte… Did I win the Game?? Unclear, but I definitely feel like I levelled up!
I had to keep reminding myself – ask questions!! As president, I did feel a need to play the role of hostess. This included greeting members as they came in, welcoming new faces to sit down with one another and have a chat! For me, the difficult part was learning to be okay with small talk
This is fine, this is why you are here, we are just playing a game I had drawn a little question mark on my hand in an effort the remind myself to- ask questions! For this, you definitely have to stay on your toes and remain mentally engaged with what the other person is saying! It was also a great practice for staying in the present moment, for when you are conscious of playing the game, you most absolutely have to remain in the here and now In the end, I could not say who won. I do not think I lost though… I think the most important factor for me was my level of comfort coming into such an activity! OMC, is this growth?
I was searching for ressources on the art of conversation. I was not in a mood to be reading. I wanted passive learning, and Alex Lyons Youtube channel was one of the first results to pop up (that means it’s good, right google?) He claims to be a communication coach, and up to this time creating videos around that subject area (which includes leadership!). Here is a summary of a few videos and some golden nuggets I found.
In this first video (part 1 of 4 of the art of conversation – Alas !the other parts are nowhere to be found!) Alex Lyon presents us with a little game. The goal is simple: get the other person talking as as much as possible ! He declares we should aim for as much as 80%, and if you’re talking, you’re losing!
The Conversation Game – How to Win
Ask the other person good, simple questions. Ask them about their interests and activities. Ask them about their life. They will probably want to reply with all their current happenings.
Ask follow up questions. Use your active listening skills! Don’t think about what you want to say, think about how you can inquire furhter about what they are saying with easy and straigth foward questions. Ex: “What are your future camping trips? What kind of gear do you use?…”
Speak concisely and turn it back to them. When answering a question they might have asked. This is not about being dismissal, this is about winning the game. Act natural as you ask them more questions Ex: “…What do you recommend?”
The conversation game can completely transform the way you engage in conversations with other people.
Alex Lyon
Connecting with people and building relationships
Here is Alex Lyons’ golden list of subjects to get another person talking comfortably by asking questions that are straightforward and relatively easy to answer. He claims that this kind of tĂȘte-Ă -tĂȘte can support relationship building.
FAMILY This can be a sensitive issue, so tread lightly and listen to your intuition. But for the most part, family is a topic that can spark joy in an individual and provide a good segway for more further exchanges. Ex: “Do you have family in the area? Do you have any siblings?”
FUN This is where we can inquire about the activities they like to do and ask if they have any hobbies! Ex: “What do you like to do for fun? What do you like to do for relaxation? What do you for thrill?”
FIRE Ask them what fires them up? What grinds their gears? What are their passions and what gets their heart pumping? However, I have had the conversation with friends who expressed that this question can feel heavy loaded for sometimes, we arent in tune with our passions!
FUTURE Simple, ask them about their future plans! Ex: “What do you have coming up this weekend? What are you planning on doing this summer?”
Conversation Starters
Two golden nuggets for a dazzling conversation:
1. KEEP IT EASY Ask short questions for quick responses. Think true or false, and 1 worded answers. This can get the ball rolling on a conversation and segway into other areas of interest. Ex: “How many….”“When did you…”
2. OPEN- ENDED, FOLLOW UP This can enable a dynamic conversation where the question aims for more details and allows the other person to potentially open up. Do try to avoid “why” questions, for we can become defensive when we feel a need to justify ourselves. Ex:”What..? How..?”
Don’t be a One Upper
Avoid the desire to compete with a fellow comrade when they are sharing a riveting tale. Be a supporting figure while listening to their story.
Recognize the feeling of competition Sure, we want to dazzle people with our stories, but this is not yours. You dont have to say something amazing.
Snap into listening mode Ask questions and enter into the other persons world and venture into their perspective!
Take a sincere interest In their joy and with what they are sharing. Get excited about what they have to say.
All in all, I did appreciate the advice Alex Lyon had to bring forth in his videos on the art of conversation, even if he sounded a little preachy at times. I do not believe I will be subscribing to his channel, for on this level of the matter, I feel like I have gathered all that I wanted. Next time I will search for suggestions pertaining to the art of conversation focussed on conducting interviews, more so for la radio! But for now, watch me come to my edge as I endeavor to converse with stangers!
“weekly task analysis and curating and reporting of progress” While I do take my passions seriously and I appreciate the time and initiative given to dive into a subject area of choice, I did not set myself up for success⊠too many loose parts and not enough dedication.
Therefore, I have decided to narrow in on a component that frightens me = conversing with people. Especially small talk, this brings me to my edge ! It will also enable me to practice on one of my initial desires for this free inquiry, practicing and finding tricks for conducting interviews. Ye!
Conversation. What is it? A Mystery! It’s the art of never seeming bored, of touching everything with interest, of pleasing with trifles, of being fascinating with nothing at all. How do we define this lively darting about with words, of hitting them back and forth, this sort of brief smile of ideas which should be conversation?Â
Guy de maupassant
THE PLAN
The internet is full of practical and useless information. A simple google search âhow to practice the art of conversationâ results 379,000,000 hits⊠Ergo, the first step will be to sort out the various videos and links that seem appropriate and check one out a week.
