(Awkward Silence)

Josh Grant
Written By Mr. Shop

The Value of Good Conversation

Published: 10/6/2021
By: Josh Grant

If it’s ever a quiet night in the Grant household, one our favorite games to play is Table Topics. It’s not even a game, just a little cube with cards inside. All of those cards have simple one-liner questions on them that are just fun. Table Topics’ motto is “topics to start great conversations.” My wife, Emily, and I got a “couples” version of this game as a wedding gift, and it has been a fun game that we play whenever we wanna dig into a rabbit trail of conversations. You can start with a straightforward question, leading to a long conversation that can go anywhere.

You don’t even need to buy this game to find good conversation starters; you can search them online and find some as well. In a modern world where tech is the new norm, the value of a simple conversation is becoming forgotten. It’s so easy to get caught up in Facebookin’ or Instagrammin’. When you set that all aside, everything you use that social media platform for is right there in front of you, a human being you can connect with.

When thinking about this game, it led me to think, how valuable is a real conversation? I think most people can think back to March 2020, when the world “shut down.” When people were encouraged to stay inside and stay behind their screens, most can personally speak to the toll that not seeing or talking to friends and family face to face took on them. One website quoted: “People spend between 70 and 80% of their day engaged in some form of conversation.” Sadly, there is not much statistical fact showing how valuable conversation is to a human being, and there are many facts to back up how important it is to developing children and kids. Personally, I know one of my favorite things to do is meet with a friend or family member and catch up over a cup of coffee or lunch.

Conversation can be valuable in many ways. It is a daily necessity for life and an enjoyable pastime amongst friends and family. Conversation shapes how you grow up, how you talk and interact with people, and how you ask your wife what she wants for dinner. The art of having a good face-to-face conversation is slowly dissipating as the world becomes more technology-driven. I do my best to remind myself to put distractions aside and focus on the person I am talking to, and never take that conversation for granted. Having a good conversation always leaves my heart happy and grows my bond with the person I talk to. The dying art of a good conversation needs to be practiced, which is the only way to ensure it stays prevalent in our day-to-day lives. If you find yourself sitting in awkward silence, look up conversation starters and allow yourself to get carried away on the rabbit trails of conversation.

 

Context

Thoughts

– How do you prefer to have a conversation with somebody?
– Who is the most memorable person you have talked to?
– If you could talk to somebody just one more time, who would it be?

Mr. Shop
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