The Art of Good Conversation

I've come to the conclusion that a good conversation is art. Tonight I sat down and had a great conversation with two very interesting people. I went to visit my friend/mentor (i know i've blogged about him before, but I'm too tired to find the link now) to talk about a project he's working on. I showed up to his office and we talked for a bit before the phone rang. This dude is full of anectodes and basically just interesting conversation, but you have to play close attention, because he speaks very fast and can change subjects at a moments notice.

Somehow, I managed to hang around long enough that he and his wife invited me to stay for dinner. I guess they probably figured I wasn't leaving until an invite was extended.

We had dinner and chatted. Actually, my friend's 5th grade son chatted a lot. I think he's learning the tricks of the trade.

After dinner we went sat outside in the backyard and that's really why I'm writing this post. It was non-stop questions and answers from both sides.

What do you think about this? How does this work? Have you read this?

Boom, Boom, Boom - non-stop. He's only about 12 (plus or minus 1) years older than me and it seems like he's on top of everything. You know when you can tell someone is well read.

The reason I believe it's an art is because I have problems communicating with a great deal of people. It can either be that they don't get (or care for)my sense of humour or just really that I get bored quick. I'm sure we've all had those conversations where we can't just wait until they're over.

The other day I was talking to my lady-friend (finish the sentence please) in Connecticut and asking her about a dude she's dating. She says, "I can't talk to him." Apparently this dude doesn't talk. So, the next time she saw him, she decided not to talk either. It was hillarious. She told me they just sat there and stared at each other -- quickly eating their food. Yup, I've been there.

So what is it? Is it that you have to be well-read to have good conversation? No - I can't say it is. Is it that you have to be funny - No, can't agree there. I think it just might be that you have to be willing not to be afraid to be yourself and express what you're feeling. There are people who talk a lot, but I can't say I enjoy their conversation.

My friend's wife joined us a little bit later and she started talking. I asked more in detail about how they met, and I finally got the full story. I thought I already knew it. Then we talked about the war and the neighbor, WWII and the border patrol.