Every time I hear a journalist say "Tell me about ..." when interviewing someone on television, I get really annoyed. It seems so incredibly presumptuous, pompous and impolite to demand an answer of a guest like that. Yet it happens all over the world. Is this standard journalistic practice? What's the reasoning behind it? Anyone else feel the same way or am I being a relic? [more inside]
posted on May 9, 2008 - 38 answers

Outlook Cleaning/Archive Gurus: Help me eliminate emails with similar (but not duplicate) content! [more inside]
posted on Apr 24, 2008 - 2 answers

If you could ask Neil Armstrong any question, what would it be? [more inside]
posted on Apr 23, 2008 - 48 answers

I'm looking for dialog-heavy scenes (in books, movies, TV shows, etc) where a group of people solve a problem or make a plan in the course of one long conversation. [more inside]
posted on Apr 20, 2008 - 33 answers

How to deal with relentlessly negative carpoolers? [more inside]
posted on Apr 17, 2008 - 29 answers

What are some generic things that a band might say to the audience at a concert? [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2008 - 32 answers

What books, training, or simple advice can you give me in becoming a more interesting conversationalist at work and especially in meeting new people? [more inside]
posted on Mar 16, 2008 - 20 answers

How do I open a dialog with my wife about her weight gain? [more inside]
posted on Mar 15, 2008 - 65 answers

What stock banter lines do you keep in your back pocket? [more inside]
posted on Feb 16, 2008 - 86 answers

Humble mefite seeking tips for learning to express herself better (specifically, without being too quiet, sounding too serious, or inadvertently coming off as arrogant or self-centered) in the following scenarios.. [more inside]
posted on Feb 13, 2008 - 14 answers

Why can't I articulate thoughts as crisply as I would like to? [more inside]
posted on Feb 13, 2008 - 24 answers

I stutter. I don't want to. Maybe you can help. [more inside]
posted on Jan 30, 2008 - 17 answers

Where do 35 to 45 year olds hang out on the web? Do social media sites specifically for this age group exist out there? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 21 answers

[ConversationFilter] Me no speaky so good no more. Please help! [more inside]
posted on Jan 19, 2008 - 26 answers

Help me converse intelligently with computer guys at cocktail parties. [more inside]
posted on Jan 15, 2008 - 33 answers

How can I cultivate / find deeper conversations with people? In university it was always easy to find people ready to talk about philosophy, politics, psychology, etc. But now, as I have gotten older and supplanted myself into the corporate world, the art of conversation seems to have been lost. It would appear that most people are resigned to talking about kids, jobs, and pop culture. Am I just in the wrong social circles or does this type of small talk permeate our culture? I long to attend a French salon or dinner party whose primary purpose is the art of conversation. Where can I find groups of people who like engaging, face-to-face conversation? How can I steer people away from talking about what they saw on CNN and towards something with a little more substance?
posted on Dec 31, 2007 - 23 answers

What movie clip/s could I show my 8th graders that would make them say, "Damn, I really do need to care about the Constitution!"? [more inside]
posted on Dec 4, 2007 - 28 answers

How do you include yourself in exclusionary conversations? [more inside]
posted on Nov 23, 2007 - 25 answers

Help me resolve me an issue with socializing. [more inside]
posted on Oct 28, 2007 - 7 answers

I can't remember the name of this video game. It was an academic project, as I recall. The entire thing is conversation based. What the player types is parsed by a natural language processing engine so the game seems to understand what you say. It takes place in a single room and revolves around a couple with a not-so-great marriage.
posted on Oct 2, 2007 - 5 answers

How do I relate to my middle aged co-workers and stop saying things like "That's cool" and "Awesome, no problem"? [more inside]
posted on Aug 9, 2007 - 39 answers

What are the best questions you've ever been asked / asked someone to get to know them better, build closer friendships/bonds, find out secrets and interesting tidbits about their lives and worldviews? I'm rather introverted (but working on being more sociable). I really relish meeting and interacting different people with different views but too often conversations aren't very interesting so I'm really not engaged or connecting with them. I'm trying to get a lot better at chatting, learning about people and building bonds with people, but I need more ammo for interesting questions to unlock that higher level of discourse with the people that surround me. [more inside]
posted on Aug 5, 2007 - 47 answers

What makes people interested in each other, friendship-wise and hanging-out-wise? [more inside]
posted on Jul 10, 2007 - 31 answers

I'm smart, attractive, have interests and passions, am often told I'm easy/comfortable to be around, am a good listener (heh, irony), etc. So why am I alone? Why can't I talk to people at will (beyond the rare times of random fluke I've yet to unravel the formula to) and leave a "not boring" impression on them? [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 57 answers

Where can I find interesting conversation games? [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2007 - 48 answers

Help me find wicked fun resources to use with my esl students. I am making new training material for my school, and I get to have a lot of fun with this project. There are a few things that I am looking for: [more inside]
posted on Jun 3, 2007 - 12 answers

When vacationing in a new country for a few weeks, what are the best ways to find interesting, thoughtful people with whom to have conversations (including but not exclusively about that country's culture, politics, etc.)? Would you recommend some kind of volunteer or more organized cultural learning expedition to serve this aim?
posted on Mar 24, 2007 - 8 answers

When my colleagues phone me, how can I remember all the things that I am supposed to talk to them about? [more inside]
posted on Mar 16, 2007 - 12 answers

What sports blog would you recommend for someone who is uninterested in sports? [more inside]
posted on Jan 16, 2007 - 21 answers

How do I make better small talk? [more inside]
posted on Dec 8, 2006 - 27 answers

In a meet-and-greet setting, when talking to someone and someone else comes by and interrupts, what's the gracious way of dealing with it? [more inside]
posted on Nov 24, 2006 - 11 answers

Do you retell other people's clever remarks as your own? [more inside]
posted on Nov 12, 2006 - 39 answers

What to say to Barack Obama over lunch? [more inside]
posted on Oct 18, 2006 - 27 answers

Should I make friends on the train? [more inside]
posted on Aug 30, 2006 - 54 answers

What are some recommendations for Japanese language schools, especially for conversation, in Tokyo? [more inside]
posted on Aug 23, 2006 - 2 answers

How can I get friends and strangers to have a meaningful, intelligent conversation about something deeper than music or cars? Specifically what are some good thought provoking questions or topics to bring up that the average person could discuss? [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2006 - 20 answers

How do you follow up on politely given invitations? [more inside]
posted on May 8, 2006 - 15 answers

After much struggle, I am finally getting good at remembering people's names. This new skill has opened a new avenue of embarrassment for me, though. I now frequently greet acquaintances by name, but often when I do so, they can't remember my name even though it's obvious they want to. What's the most gracious way of reminding someone of your name while minimizing embarrassment all around? (posted by amtho's fiance)
posted on Apr 16, 2006 - 20 answers

Is taking turns to speak a Western cultural phenomenon? [more inside]
posted on Mar 27, 2006 - 17 answers

In the movie The Conversation, Gene Hackman has a sonic surveillance device (a directional microphone?) which, when pointed at distant people, enabled him to tune in to their conversation. This made me think how interesting it could be to own such a device and use it to tune in to conversations other people are having in their car as you pass them on the freeway. Is this possible?
posted on Feb 27, 2006 - 20 answers

What is that odd phrase for when of you think of the perfect response, but at a time far too late to respond? It has something to do with "stairs."
posted on Feb 24, 2006 - 12 answers

How can you psychologically gain an upper hand over somebody in conversations ? [more inside]
posted on Feb 12, 2006 - 46 answers

How do you respond when you're with people and they complain about their weight? [more inside]
posted on Dec 10, 2005 - 72 answers

I'd like to improve my english (french is my mother language). [more inside]
posted on Dec 8, 2005 - 27 answers

My girlfriend says our conversations suck. [more inside]
posted on Dec 7, 2005 - 42 answers

Spoken English courses in Manhattan / elsewhere in NYC? [more inside]
posted on Dec 3, 2005 - 6 answers

What are some of your favorite ways to say "hello" and "bye"? [more inside]
posted on Nov 9, 2005 - 55 answers

How do I initiate and sustain a conversation with people who are (almost) strangers? [more inside]
posted on Oct 31, 2005 - 11 answers

How do I get someone to open up on a first date? [more inside]
posted on Oct 29, 2005 - 29 answers

Boundaries in conversation with an ESL student? [more inside]
posted on Oct 24, 2005 - 6 answers