14 Conversational Skills You Can Easily Learn and Apply at Work

14 Conversational Skills You Can Easily Learn and Apply at Work14 Conversational Skills You Can Easily Learn and Apply at Work Making conversation at the office can be awkward. Stay all business and you risk coming across as a buttoned-up, stuffy person who doesnt know how to cut loose. Too nice? You might find yourself taken for granted or even passed over for promotions . And if your conversations are too casual, you may find that youre not taken seriously. How do you strike the perfect balance when making workday chat?When it comes to office chatter, there are a few simple best practices you should observe.We naturally like people who are interested in us. Open conversations with a question, and then genuinely pay attention to the answer. A simple Hows your day going? goes a long way.Casual banter and humor may not fly in a formal setting. Ditto for an overly serious attitude at a workdistribution policy that embraces a mora casual tone. The office is one place whe re you want to fit in.Its cool if you let your co-workers know that you love your dog, or that you like to skydive on the weekends, but leave more charged topics like religion and politics alone.Yes, bad things happen at work, but that doesnt mean you have to have a negative mindset. Keep your tone positive by focusing on solutions instead of grumbling about problems.Office gossip will almost always come back to haunt you. When someone shares private information with you, be sure to keep their confidence. And whatever you do, dont badmouth management or your colleagues.Make it a rule to listen more often than you talk. The more insight you gain into your colleagues and the general vibe of your office environment, the more relevant and meaningful things youll have to say when its your turn to speak.Conversing with office mates who share the saatkorn rung of the corporate ladder is one thing, but the dynamic changes when youre talking to someone higher up. All of the tips we just p rovided are still in play (you werent really going to talk politics with your manager , were you?), but there are a few more you should observe to keep things professional.Dale Carnegie was right - the secret to being liked is to show an interest in others. But mind that you keep the topics professional. How was your fishing trip? is a great question. Were you as drunk as you looked at the club this weekend? . . . not so much.Chat with your senior colleagues when you know theyre not in a hurry, like when youre both heading to grab a cup of coffee. Match the topic to the length of time at hand. Asking something like How did you get into this field of work? might be an appropriate conversation-starter at an office dinner function, but its not well-suited for a two-minute break at the water cooler.Have an idea for improving the quality of your social media analytics? Dont present that during a thirty-second elevator ride. Instead, consider using email or other office channels to schedule a meeting. Otherwise, your ideas may get lost in the shuffle or, worse, youll come across as a pest.No one likes the colleague whos doing everything short of jumping up and down, shouting Look at me Look at me to stay on the bosss radar.Once more, the rules change a bit when youre making conversation with someone you directly manage . Now youre in a position where you need to command respect, and that applies even in casual settings. Heres how.If it comes naturally, use humor to make yourself more approachable. Just keep it office-appropriate. Remember, youre setting the tone for everyone else.Even the most casual banter with a senior colleague can feel intimidating when its one-on-one. Consider inviting others into the mix to ease the tension and help everyone feel comfortable .Keep your chatty questions neutral. Its fine to ask whether your employee had a nice time on vacation, but when you ask about their relationships with their significant others, youre straying into personal territory. Would you feel comfortable answering if your employee asked you the same question?Its helpful to praise individual performance-related wins that you might only mention cumulatively on a performance review . (Good job on the presentation this morning Your PowerPoint chops are becoming legendary.) They can provide confidence boosts that increase morale.Whatever your hierarchy in the office jungle, making conversation is a matter of applying a combination of empathy (chat like youd like to be chatted to), good observation skills and a little common sense.This article was originally published on Grammarly . It is reprinted with permission.