Letting People Into The Conversation

Part of treating people well involves knowing how to let them into a conversation.

If you are with a colleague or two in the break room at work, for example, and a new employee at your company joins you at your table, occasionally look in their direction as you are talking to the people you already know well for any sign that the other person would like to join in the conversation. 

Christians,

As something to remember about how to treat others well, you want to understand how to keep a conversation open to participation from all the people you are with. You have likely been with a group of new people, whether it was for school or work, and found that the other people you were with had their eyes locked on one another and left not a second for you to venture into the conversation.  Likely already a little nervous around people you were going to be working or studying with, you were then left out in the cold. 

If you are with a colleague or two in the break room at work, for example, and a new employee at your company joins you at your table, occasionally look in their direction as you are talking to the people you already know well for any sign that the other person would like to join in the conversation.  You can usually tell when someone is about to speak or is interested in saying something.  Also, try not to discuss only topics that the new colleague wouldn’t be able to join in the conversation about. 

Discussing nothing but inside jokes from the prior year of work isn’t going to leave much room for a person new at your workplace to enter the conversation.  You want to consider discussing something that you know the new acquaintance would likely be able to respond to.  It is also a good idea to directly invite the person into the conversation with a casual question that doesn’t involve any social pressure.