Writing and Speaking > Conversation Topics and the Common Mistakes You Make
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Article rating : 10.00, 8 votes. Author : Peter Murphy
We have all seen a conversation go from right to horrible wrong. The moment it happens there is a silence and awkward reactions from everyone involved. The person who caused the problem, in most cases, does not even realize what he or she did wrong.
Chances are that they stepped into a conversation topic that was uncomfortable or simply forbidden to speak about. Most societies have certain things that are morally wrong to say or do.
There are also generally known conversation topics to avoid. These topics usually are things that can make people upset or uncomfortable.
The following list explains some of the forbidden conversation topics. These topics should be avoided unless you are in a conversation with someone really close to you where awkwardness is not a concern.
For all other conversations it is best to completely avoid these conversation topics. If someone brings up one of these topics you can try to strear the conversation in a different direction to help avoid silence and awkwardness.
1. Bad Health.
Talking about your health problems may seem like a great thing to do , however, some people do not enjoy hearing all the gory details. You should not monopolize a conversation and talking about your bad health automatically turns you into the center of attention and turns all conversation towards you.
Some people are just plain disgusted by medical stuff and would rather you skip the story about your recent operation. Unless asked about your health avoid this topic. Even when asked keep it simple and avoid details.
2. Technical language.
There is no better way to aleinate the other people in your conversation than by using language they can not understand. Some people may even see it as you trying to be a know it all, which only reflects poorly on you.
If technical language is essential to something you are talking about then be sure to explain it. Also avoid speaking down to others when explaining. Remember they are not dumb, just not everyone knows all the technical lingo you may.
3. Bad relationships.
This is especially a no-no during a dating conversation. You do not want to be known as the one in your group who is always complaining about love gone wrong.
You can come across as bitter and jealous if you are talking about a past bad relationship. It is just best to avoid it and remember the saying that if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all.
4. Sex.
Some people are very uncomfortable talking openly about sex. Unless you reslly know the other people well it is best to avoid any sexual references during a conversation. It is very easy to offend someone when this topic comes up.
5. Hot button topics.
These would be religion or politics. These things can really take a conversation from friendly to debate in no time. People are passionate about these things so stay away from these topics.
If you avoid these five different conversation topics you should not find yourself stuck in a conversation wanting to run away. You can bring up new conversation topics, but stick to things you know the otherts will enjoy.
If you are wanting to be daring try to bring up something off-beat and amusing. Then you can avoid a conversation stopper.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.conversationtalk.com/report.htm
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