The way you communicate with your colleagues has a great impact on the impression you create in a workplace. You need to consider many diverse aspects while communicating at your workplace. The communication may vary at different levels in a workplace. The tone you maintain with a boss and the tone you maintain with a colleague or a client are bound to be different. Similarly, the topics you choose to discuss too varies. People who do not consider all these aspects while conversing at their workplace fail miserably in building good professional relationships.
Here are some tips and suggestions that will help you come up with interesting conversation topics with different people at your workplace:
Best Conversation Topics for Any Situation:
While Speaking To Bosses:
It is not easy to come up with communication topics when you are conversing with your bosses. A great amount of caution needs to be maintained as any word you speak may backfire on you and may affect your job life greatly. Here are some suggestions on what conversation topics to choose to keep the boss interested and impressed.
Do Not Speak About Office Politics:
Issues related to office management and the politics within the office may be interesting but it is best to avoid speaking about this with your boss. Most often, bias and partiality within an organization happens with the knowledge of the top authority and the bosses. By speaking against the office management, you may actually be criticizing decisions of your boss. This may simply offend him. So it is best to avoid such topics if you really want the boss to be interested in a positive way in what you speak.
Avoid Conversation Regarding Personal Matters:
The relationship with your boss should be thoroughly professional. It is best never to pick up topics associated with personal matters like relationships while speaking to your boss. You need to know your limits. It is quite possible that some bosses may not take your casual tone in the right sense.
If you have problems and worries at your home front, leave it at home. Do not while and grieve over your own sorry tales in front of your boss. It is a very bad topic to speak about and most often such conversations turn out to be one sided and dull.
Try to Discuss Your Opinion on Current Project Functioning:
Bosses always enjoy hearing about work and ongoing projects. So you can try and discuss about different aspects of the current project. Your boss will surely appreciate your dedication towards work. He may also provide some valuable suggestions regarding work methods and improvements. These may help you gain more relevant knowledge regarding the particular project.
Speak About Innovations or Modifications Your Would Like to See In The Company:
A boss is always keen to know how he can improve the work scenario and gain more profits. While he may not take your observations regarding management policies in the right sense, he will surely appreciate if you suggest means to improve productivity. You need to stay upto date with the latest technology to be in a position to suggest about the same to your boss. Even for a casual conversation with your boss, you may have to do a thorough research beforehand. This will ensure that your boss listens to you with keen interest and you do not make a mockery out of yourself.
While Speaking To Clients:
Conversation topics with your clients will be quite different from conversation topics with your boss. You may not have to maintain a serious tone all the time as clients belong to different levels. You must understand the type of client and pick a conversation topic accordingly. In case of clients, the topics you pick up should interest them otherwise it may affect a long business relationship.
Try To Pick Up Topics that Reveal Your Knowledge and Experience in the Field:
Many times you have to fix deals with clients or simply officialize a deal that is finalized. In either case, you cannot afford the client to get an impression that you lack knowledge in the field as it may act against you. Speak about some similar past projects. Show them how you helped in the successful completion of these projects. It will not just earn their respect but also help them finalize their decision regarding the project.
Discuss About Clients’ Expectations in the Project:
A client is always anxious about his project. He is always keen to know whether his project will be completed at the right time. He is also inquisitive to know whether he is investing in the right firm and company. It is better to avoid small talk and discuss about the project instead. It will help to release some pressure from the mind of the client.
Many times projects fail because the firms fail to ask about the client’s expectations and what he wants from the project. So when you are having a meeting with the client, it would be wise to discuss the client’s expectations. It will also help you get a clear picture regarding the project.
Speak on World Issues or General Topics:
If you are having a general discussion with your client and it is not related to work, you must avoid speaking about religious beliefs. You may instead talk about some general topics like the recent elections, various movements, progress, need of eco friendliness and similar other topics. These are topics that reveal your awareness about world issues without rousing any personal negative emotions that may hamper the client-company relationship.
While speaking to the client, you need to take pains to assess the client’s body language. Sometimes, an uncomfortable body language or posture may reveal that you have picked up a wrong conversation topic and you may subtly change the topic.
While Speaking To Colleagues:
While you do not stay in continuous touch with your bosses or clients, colleagues are people you need to speak to all the time. Such close interaction automatically brings in a casual tone to the conversation. We often tend to be extremely free with our colleagues. Yet, there are some things you need to keep in mind while interacting with colleagues like what topics you speak about. Colleagues can put your job in a jeopardy if you speak the wrong thing in front of them. Often colleagues and peers are competitors and they could be jealous of your achievements and success. If you deal with them wisely, you can avoid troubles. Here are some interesting topics that you may discuss with your colleagues:
Speak About Projects:
Very often, our views are constrained by our limited knowledge. This prevents us from getting the best out of a certain project. Discussing with colleagues about a certain project where you all work together will help you to know their views. This will surely broaden your perspective and will help you see things in a new light.
It is thus a great idea to speak about existing projects and their progress. Try to lean new things and gain fresh knowledge. It will surely help you perform better at your workplace.
Speak About Job Options and Alternatives:
Casual talk with your colleagues can help you know about new job alternatives and options. It is thus a great idea to speak about job scenario, job market and alternative job options with your colleagues. You can add strength to the bond by having some snacks or tea with them. Often tea time is the best time to interact with your colleagues. After a lot of work, a little chatting can help the mind relax a bit.
A Little Gossip on Office Politics Won’t Do Much Harm:
While you cannot afford to gossip with your bosses or clients, peers offer that wee bit of freedom for sure. You get to know the latest news about the management, company profits and similar other facts through office gossips. Unlike household gossips that are meant only to tarnish other’s image, office gossip can be much healthier. It may even assist you in making the right decisions related to change.
Speak About Things You Wish To Learn:
Learning is a continuous process. There is really no end to learning. A casual chat with your colleagues that help you gain knowledge in your field is surely the most intelligent chat. So try to speak to your senior friends and acquire knowledge and skills that may help you in the future.
Unique Conversation Topics:
Communication skill can be utilized as a tool which can help you attract people and also be very helpful in boosting your company growth and development. Even to build a strong network, your communication needs to be effective and impressive.
One of the main reasons why many people lack communication skills is that they do know how to start a conversation. The conversation be it to an individual or group should look natural and depending upon the situation. Also, the type or form can be chosen accordingly like formal, informal, casual, etc.
A good conversationalist is one who acts as per the requirement and needs. They will be smart enough to access the environment and interact. The other best part about such people are that they are fearless and confident.
Deep Conversation Starters:
The key element to be a good conversationalist is to pick the right topic for conversation depending upon the person or group you are about to interact with. Here is a list of best conversation starters which you can pick to begin a conversation.
Random Conversation Starters:
- The last funny video you recently have seen
- How do you deal with stress
- Are you obsessed with anything
- Favourite comedian
- Favourite actor
- Favorite musician
- Favorite pass time
- What is the name of your pet
- How did you spend your last weekend
- What is the best thing about your work/school
- Describe yourself in 3 words
- What is the worst thing about your work/school
- what’s your perfect weekend plan
- What is your favorite intro music
- Do you have any plans for this weekend
- How mischevious were you as a kid
- Any popular thing which annoys you
- Which animal would you choose as your favourite pet
- How was your last vacation
- Who is your oldest friend
- Any situation where you work hard
- When with friends how do you spend the time
- What do you do in your free time
- Do you have any tattoos on you
- Favourite number
- Favorite cartoon shows
- Most helpful thing you own
- How organized are you
- Ever saved any person’s life
- Do you have stage fear
- Ever saved any animal or birdlife
- A strangest dream you ever had
- Which business would you like to open if got a chance
- Have you ever given any controversial statement
- Which person brings in most joy to you
- The most beautiful place you have ever visited
- Your role model
- Favourite season
- The most annoying habit anyone can have
- Favourite place to pass free time
- Most beautiful place nearby
- Best friend in school
- A car or house, which one do you prefer important
- Do you sleep early or stay awake
- The important thing you always carry
- Time spend on surfing net
- Beautiful sunset you have ever seen
- How do you measure success
- An interesting recent new story
- If you can know one thing from the future, what would it be
- Worst place you have ever stuck
- Do you wish to take back anything said earlier
- Do you help others? when was the last time
- What is your guilty pleasure
- What would your new name be, if given a chance
- Has anybody saved your life
- Best birthday wish you ever got
- How good are you with your friends’ group
- Do you like game shows
- Best trends you followed as a kid
- When do you feel most nervous
- Best time period of you life
- Best place for a date
- How do you chill when in bad mood
- Favourite celebrity
- Do you have any silly fear
- Who has the biggest impact on your life
- Things to achieve before you die
- Do you like reality shows
- Favourite room in your house
- Worst person to get stuck in an elevator
- Favourite TV series
- Best person to stuck in an elevator
- Future of TV shows
- Most overrated TV show
- Most underrated TV show
- Past TV sho which you miss the most
- What are you good at
- Weird talent you have
Conclusion:
Coming up with good conversation topics in a professional environment can be quite challenging. You need to weigh the pros against the cons before you come up with any topic.
The conversation is the first step for building smooth and strong professional relationships. People who lack in communication skills suffer greatly inspite of their knowledge. While the topic you choose for conversation is significant, there are other aspects that matter too to create the right impression.
These are dressing sense, body language and posture. Interesting topics are just one of the aspects.
