conversation skills
Dialogue aptitude set
Conversation skills are the abilities that make someone effective at talking with others—listening attentively, asking good questions, reading social cues, knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet.
The term appears often in self-help contexts and job listings: The position requires strong conversation skills.
Unlike natural charisma, conversation skills implies something learnable and improvable.
- eye contactDirect visual connection
- empathySharing another's emotions
- holding spaceSupportive emotional presence
- attentivenessConcentrated awareness of surroundings
- reading the roomPerceiving social cues accurately
articulation · cultural sensitivity · turn-taking · changing the subject · clarity · questioning · mirroring · conflict resolution · self-awareness · vocabulary · paraphrasing · word choice · gestures · reciprocity · posture · fluency · active listening · summarizing
- social skillssharing, helping, listening, manners, teamwork
- etiquettemanners, politeness, etiquette, table manners, courtesy
- child languagebabbling, first words, cooing, language development, speech development
- hospitalityhotel, hotels, warmth, kindness, welcome
- listeningactive listening, attentive, listening comprehension, focused attention, full attention
- table mannerstable manners, napkin folding, chewing quietly, elbows off table, proper posture
conversation skillspoor communication
Ineffective exchange of information
tongue-tied · inarticulate · social awkwardness · awkwardness · stammering
conversation skillslecturing
Giving an instructive talk
broadcasting · preaching · self-absorption · speechmaking · interrupting
conversation skillssocial withdrawal
Retreating from interpersonal contact
taciturnity · reticence · unsociability · reclusiveness · muteness