Improve Your Conversations Quotes

“The more specific your questions the better.   If you feel that you can't really continue the conversation without asking questions, you need to ask specific questions.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Instead of walling off a conversation and saying you'd rather talk about something else, you bring in a deeper and more comprehensive level of analysis. This highlights your intelligence, but it also highlights your emotional engagement.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Rule of Improv Comedy: React to everything put in front of you, because it was probably put there for a reason.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Rule of Improv Comedy: Be as present and observant as possible so you can see where an interaction is coming from, and where it wants to go.   If you were to analyze really successful improv comedians like Jim Carrey, you will notice that he have a great knack for being in the moment.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“If you go to a networking event with the idea of seeking a job, that’s an expectation that will creep into all of your conversations, whether you realize it or not. You’re going to subconsciously nudge your interactions into specific directions that will probably disrupt the natural flow of how they would otherwise go—to your detriment. If you speak to that same person and just seek to connect, chances are a very different connection will form.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“By keeping an eye out for hints that people leave for the reactions they want, you can increase the likelihood that your conversations will be longer, more emotionally engaging, and lead to where you want them to go.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Recall that improv is about accomplishing a shared goal. This requires flow, working together, and accepting what other people bring to the table regardless of what it is. That’s the essence of “Yes, AND…” and the opposite of “Yes, BUT…”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“positivity leads to sales because people imagine what they are missing by not having what is being sold.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say

“Ask questions about people’s motivations, thoughts, stances, and internal train of thought. Try to ascertain people’s emotions and attitudes toward the topic at hand and what those imply. ”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“In our media-saturated world, many people feel profoundly unheard and unacknowledged. Why not break the cycle of self-centeredness by showing that you’re confident enough to spend some time simply supporting others in conversation?”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say

“By and large, people are not that sensitive. People just imagine that they are, especially around certain topics.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“In response to someone else’s suggestion, thought, or topic, always say “Yes, AND…” which means that you drop your train of thought, adopt theirs, and add something to keep the conversation flowing.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“With so much focus on how to extract what you want from other people, what’s been lost is the seemingly simple revelation that conversation should actually be fun and enjoyable.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say

“Emotional intelligence is when you understand what someone is trying to convey through their words or body language, and you understand what you yourself are conveying to others through the same.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say

“Flexibility and the ability to adapt are paramount to any great conversation.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say

“Effective storytelling is all about being as specific as you can and being as detailed as you can.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“people are very thirsty for acknowledgment and the respect that underlies that acknowledgment.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“There are no right or wrong answers, only answers that lead to flow and those that do not.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Rule of Improv Comedy: Never lead with “No.” because it disregards the direction that someone wants to go and makes it more difficult to work towards a common, shared goal.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Great storytelling and improv are all about setting the right framework with intimate details and telling the story that gets the right emotional payoffs from the crowd.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Rule of Improv Comedy: Provide specific details for people to relate to, react to, and run with.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“When you prepare and focus on what you need to say next, you are the opposite of present. You are stuck in your own head, and not listening or observing at all – you’re just waiting for your turn to speak. This is a very common error. The results are also very common.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Learn how to read your conversation partner to direct the conversation.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Rule of Improv Comedy: Don’t force others to answer broad questions because it puts a conversational burden on them and interrupts banter.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Acknowledge the importance of what they're saying. This means that what is important to them has an emotional impact on you. Remember, people are always looking to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“about others sharing something with you and being simultaneously being affected by what you share. You acknowledge the ideas and the information that they're sharing so that they become emotionally engaged.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“strategically using your reactions, you can shift the direction to a middle ground that is more acceptable to both of you, and eventually to a topic that you want.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“Show appropriate levels of emotional reaction. If you're able to do this properly, this lets them know that you care about what they're talking about. Also, what they are saying is as important to you as it is to them.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“This will force you to dig deep, exercise your creative half, and find the positive insight in any topic that arises.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

“However, if you use the phrase, "Yes, BUT…", you immediately come off as combative. You come off as if you're arguing with them or you are trying to correct them. This turns the conversation into a power struggle. Instead of an ally, you come off as an adversary obviously trying to take control of the agenda.”
― Patrick King, Improve Your Conversations: Think On Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What To Say with Improv Comedy Techniques