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title: Mastering the Art of Conversation: 7 Steps to Being Smooth
description: In The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure, Catherine Blyth gives some great tips on handling the subtle nuances of polite...
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# Mastering the Art of Conversation: 7 Steps to Being Smooth

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by 

[Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/)


## Eric Barker


Jul 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC

by 

[Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/)


## Eric Barker


Jul 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC

In [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20), Catherine Blyth gives some great tips on handling the subtle nuances of polite interaction.

Here are seven of my favorite bits:

## How To Make Small Talk

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---

## How To Make A Solid Introduction

Mastering the art of conversation has to start somewhere, so you have to know how to begin. Here’s a solid formula.

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---

## How We Judge A Successful Conversation

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---


## How To Make A Conversation Progress

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---

## Great Conversationalists Listen More Than Talk

To help doctors be better listeners, their responses are graded from 1 to 6 with the “empathic communication coding system.”


**The higher the number, the better.**

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---

## Two Powerful Pieces Of Advice

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

* **Hear what people are really saying as opposed to what they are telling you.**

* **Directness is a privilege of intimacy.**

## How To End A Conversation

There are a number of phrases that can politely signal the end of a chat.

Via [The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P9O38A/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P9O38A&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20):

---

> “”

---


I would love to continue with this post, _but I wouldn’t want to keep you._

**Join 45K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD).

Related posts:

[6 hostage negotiation techniques that will get you what you want](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/hostage-negotiation/)

[How To Make People Like You: 6 Science-Based Conversation Hacks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/10/how-to-make-people-like-you/)

[5 secrets that will help you master conversation skills](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/conversation-skills/)

_This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)_._

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