A good conversation requires a balance between listening and talking. But, with the advancement of technology, people tend to forget about that. Nowadays, more and more people prefer to text over having a real conversation. This issue is well-explained in a video about better conversation by Celeste Headlee.

Having a good interpersonal and conversational skill has become an important skill of 21st century. In her 11 minutes video, celeste provides 10 tips to improve your conversation skill.

Here is the summary of that talk:

1. Don’t multitask. Be present. Don’t think about something else. Don’t be half in it.
2. Don’t pontificate. Setting aside your personal opinion. Enter the conversation with mind that you have something to learn. Everyone is an expert in their way.
3. Start with open ended question. Let them describe the feeling. Use who, what, when, where and why.
4. Go with the flow! Let the story in your mind come and go.
5. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know. Be careful with what you say.
6. Don’t equate their experience with yours. All experience is individual. It’s not about your experience but theirs.
7. Don’t repeat yourself. It’s boring.
8. Forget all the details. People don’t care about details, they care about you what thing we have in common.
9. Listen to understand! Pay attention to someone. Don’t listen just to reply.
10. Be brief and be interested in people! Be prepare to be amazed.