9 Ways to Lose Someone in a Conversation

Without a good first impression or conversation with someone, you will have a difficult time building a relationship. Pay attention to how you interact with others. Below are 9 ways that you will most likely lose the interest of someone wanting to talk further with you.

1. Wandering eyes – You take your eyes off of the person you are talking to and look around the room. Not only is this rude, but also it appears that you are looking for the next person to talk to without finishing your existing conversation.

2. Egocentric – You only talk about yourself and don’t let the other person talk. Also, you don’t ask questions about the other person so you are showing that you don’t have an interest.

3. Rude – You are rude during your conversation and make the other person feel bad. Some of your comments and responses are inappropriate to the other person.

4. Negativity – Most of what comes out of your mouth is negative. People don’t want to be around negative people.

5.  No Smiles – You don’t crack a smile during your conversation, which shows that you are too serious and not approachable. People want to feel welcome.

6. Limp handshake – Your shake someone’s hand with a limp shake or dead fish. By not having a firm handshake, it may show that you are not confident and professional. People want to do business with confident people.

7. Dirty teeth – Your teeth show the other person what you just ate. Make sure that you check your mouth and face for food after you eat. Depending on the event, it can sometimes be better to eat before or after so you don’t have to worry about showing leftovers.

8. Unpolished appearance – You look unprofessional with your clothes. Pay attention to stains and holes on your shirts as well as make sure that your shoes are polished. You want to come across as professional at all times.

9. Excess drinking – Pay attention to how much you drink at an event. You don’t want to be slurring your words and saying things that you regret. You want people to know your professional side.

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Comments

[Barry Deutsch]

I like the list of items you've posted. Natural common sense - why are most people so bad about this.

I joke with my High School Girls Basketball Team that every interaction is a job interview - eye contact, warm, friendly, inviting, firm handshake, well-dressed.

Unfortunately, it's normal human reaction to judge on first impressions. Holding interest with another person in conversation takes hard work. One of my favorite reads for this subject is the work around NLP - popularized by Tony Robbins. The chapter in his first book on NLP will justify the price of the whole book.

Barry Deutsch
Partner
IMPACT Hiring Solutions
http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com

[Jason Jacobsohn]

Yes, you would think that it is common sense. However, some people need a constant reminder. I like your analogy about a job interview. Thanks for the suggestion about Tony Robbin's book.

[Jeremy Jacobs]

Clearly you go to the wrong networking events!