I can be very clueless sometimes, so I need your help: was my friend hinting at me or just making conversation?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 15, 2013 -
31 answers
How can I stop a clearly very unhappy person from driving me out of my favourite hang-out with his lengthy recitals of grievances?
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posted by Flitcraft
on Jun 8, 2013 -
28 answers
I recently had a very confusing break-up conversation that I am having a lot of trouble decoding.
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posted by karminai
on Jun 2, 2013 -
21 answers
In one of Kundera's books, he describes conversation so aptly that I've been using his description (with attribution) for years. But I really feel like I should quote it exactly and for as long as I've been paraphrasing him, I've been trying to remember which damn book it's in so that I can stop paraphrasing and start quoting. Help me, hive mind!
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posted by janey47
on May 21, 2013 -
3 answers
I have a need to record phone conversations that occur on an iPhone. What are my options?
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posted by cjorgensen
on Mar 22, 2013 -
5 answers
I want to be able to come up with better analogies to describe life and work situations. I'm thinking of the kind that the folks in The Bugle would come up with.
posted by Lucubrator
on Mar 21, 2013 -
7 answers
I am a temp employee in a very small office. Obviously I can't comfortably say what kind. My boss made a dangerous error Friday, repeated the error today and then covered up both errors, in front of me, and not giving me any plausible deniability of knowin what she was doing. I reported this over her head and am now nervous about handling the fallout.
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posted by tulip-socks
on Mar 11, 2013 -
20 answers
Is a man who pretends to be friends with a woman when he is actually interested in more than friendship doing something shady?
Should said woman (myself) drop him as a friend or give him a chance to adjust? He’s a good friend and generally a positive, interesting and charming friend to have (smart, insightful, witty, capable of deep conversation, trustworthy with secrets, understanding…). I’m simply not interested in dating him (for many reasons, the most glaring of which is that he’s sexist in subtle ways that I couldn’t tolerate in a partner), but I value and love his friendship and conversation. I do not want to date him, ever. I don’t know if I should salvage our friendship or let it go, for his sake and mine...I've included the details below but I think this summary captures what I am trying to intellectually and emotionally figure out.
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posted by grassbottles
on Feb 28, 2013 -
54 answers
Quick, blush-inducing question: remember the
diner scene in Silver Linings Playbook? I would like more scenes from movies/TV like that (basically, a conversation which plays out like an impromptu tango, and in which one/both parties finds themselves unexpectedly/uncomfortably/obviously aroused).
posted by julthumbscrew
on Feb 16, 2013 -
12 answers
I grew up as a painfully shy, socially anxious extrovert. No friends that weren't online, could not talk to anyone. This was not a fun combination, so after Highschool I worked on fixing it and I've gotten better. I can make small talk, break the ice, carry on a general conversation. But this is not what I want.
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posted by Pericardium
on Feb 9, 2013 -
10 answers
Sometimes when I am in a three-person conversation the other two people make lots of eye contact but I am excluded. I hate this so much! Am I doing something wrong? How do I make them include me?
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posted by dinosaurprincess
on Jan 27, 2013 -
18 answers
Trying to find a reference about a type of conversation where what ever you say the other person will have an opposing statement, not because they disagree but because they say something "anti" in every case. "Confrontational conversation" maybe??
posted by Freedomboy
on Jan 26, 2013 -
14 answers
I work with a group of colleagues that I get along well with, mainly male. However, certain subjects come up, my Sexism Klaxon starts going off... but any comments I make always get batted down with "chill out we're only joking" or something similar. Can you give me tips to not always come out of these conversations either seething with frustration or feeling like the Grand Ruiner Of Conversations?
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posted by greenish
on Jan 25, 2013 -
89 answers
I like a guy but I don't think of myself as attractive. Obviously, he is attractive to me, but I also think he is considered attractive by most people. People tell me that you should always aim for your own attractiveness-level, so I'm wary about this already. Plus I really don't know how to talk to him because I've placed him on this pedestal and I am completely in awe. How do I approach him?
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posted by madsy
on Jan 18, 2013 -
27 answers
I am in Seattle. I'd like to learn French, to the point where I could (in 6 months, say) carry on a rough conversation with someone in Québec or France. I have knowledge of a few words but would essentially be starting from scratch. With which group/center/school should I take classes, but most importantly:
why? (In other words, what would make that class better than those offered through alternatives?)
posted by Blazecock Pileon
on Dec 25, 2012 -
9 answers
What technology and software I should look at inorder to be able to record interviews on Skype on to my hard disk (MacBook Pro) and then be able to manipulate the recording easily in order to type out a transcript? Or, preferably , find reliable speech recognition software that will automatically produce a written transcript I can enter into my word processing program (Open Office.) ? I'm willing to change up software and able to spend no more than $100 to make this work. Is it possible?
posted by NorthCoastCafe
on Dec 18, 2012 -
8 answers
Where can I find a bunch of thought-provoking questions or prompts for starting conversations? I'm looking for the rabbit-hole questions you can spend a lot of time discussing with someone, as well as questions that help you get to know someone better. Are there books, games, or web resources like this?
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posted by theantikitty
on Nov 9, 2012 -
11 answers
If I want to study conversation -- how people talk, what they look like when they're talking, why people talk in certain situations, how to get better at talking -- what are the classics? What has helped you?
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posted by insteadofapricots
on Nov 7, 2012 -
10 answers
Conversation as art form? Can you show me specific instances, available free online in audio/video, of discussions which go beyond the ploddingly serious back-and-forth or airy jokiness or superficiality of a typical interview or panel or debate? I'm looking for masterful demonstrations of how the
conversational form can uniquely educate, entertain, provoke honesty, and even reveal new truths.
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posted by shivohum
on Oct 5, 2012 -
18 answers
Which is best: asking an acquaintance "What's your name again?", hoping they don't notice you don't remember their name, or guessing their name and being wrong?
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posted by escabeche
on Jul 10, 2012 -
35 answers
Not sure how to address the problem of over-embellishment/editing of conversations and situations by a close relative in which I am present and recall things differently (more details inside)
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 5, 2012 -
35 answers
My wonderful boyfriend gets stuck on one topic of conversation for days at a time and has trouble talking about anything else. How do I kindly get him unstuck next time before he drives me insane?
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posted by pineappleheart
on Jul 4, 2012 -
26 answers
My OkCupid profile--any suggestions? And what's the best way to initiate conversations with women?
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posted by Willpower
on Jun 29, 2012 -
51 answers
ConversationFilter: How do you talk with someone when a topic you have opposing views on comes up?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 17, 2012 -
23 answers
Hi! I'm learning Spanish at the moment, using podcasts and LiveMocha, mostly. I try to speak it as much as possible when doing the LiveMocha exercises, listening to the podcast conversations, etc, but I realise that what's missing is real live conversation with others.
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 15, 2012 -
8 answers
I sometimes feel like I react too quickly or too slowly to things happening in the moment, especially in conversation. Does anyone else experience this, and if so what is it and how can I fix it?
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posted by cucumber patch
on Jun 10, 2012 -
7 answers
There was a study a few years back where they had two people meet and discuss a list of questions. The control pairs got a basic set of superficial interview questions (what's your name, do you have siblings, where are you from) and the other got a specially designed set of questions that increasingly went into meaningful, personal topics. At the end, pairs in the test group tended to report a deep bond with their partner and went on to become friends after the study. Can you find me the study and/or the questions?
posted by sdis
on Jun 4, 2012 -
5 answers
I have nothing to say. Almost ever. How does one go about getting used to the idea of expressing oneself?
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posted by jumelle
on May 13, 2012 -
19 answers
Why do I repeat myself instead of explaining or describing what I mean in real-life conversation? When people have acknowledged my statement, why do I keep going with it at all, much less repeat almost the exact same phrasing? Why do I have so much trouble maintaining continuity in a topic? I am a dreadful conversationalist- this must be really irritating to others, but half the time I don't even realize that I'm doing it. How can I stop?
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posted by windykites
on Apr 19, 2012 -
7 answers
No matter what problem I try to discuss with a friend, she always turns the conversation to a similar problem SHE'S had. Any way I can make her stop?
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posted by shelayna
on Mar 29, 2012 -
40 answers
