What do you bring to the table?

So we’ve talked about re-purposing stolen time but how do you prevent a lull in the conversation?  (Note:  a lull in the conversation is very different from a comfortable silence – you can tell by that queasy panicked feeling.)  Now is the time to ask yourself, “what do I bring to the table?”

If you find yourself falling back on the same-old, same-old in your conversations with your partner, it’s time to branch out.  Start by learning more about topics that interest you.  See if anything piques his interest (be aware that if your new conversation topics are knitting and shoes it will be more torturous for him than talking about taking out the trash).  At the same time, pay attention to things he mentions in conversation and see if you find it tolerable to talk about (do not fake interest or try to be someone that you’re not – you’ll regret it when you’re at your first insurance convention).

Try to keep the conversation away from topics like household matters, making babies, and how your workday went – these are informational, not conversational.  If you want people to find you interesting, you have to be interesting.