Oh, we know you’ve met somebody like this before…
That one person, who takes a “one-minute-meeting about our ad results this week” and turns it into a “45-minute-debate on the geopolitical impact of tax cuts in Sweden.”
These are the type of people that, no matter what you do… No matter how many secret signals you give off that you are tired of it… namely:
- Tapering the conversation off,
- Grimacing, just grimacing at the person,
- Pointing your feet (both of them) towards the door,
There is just simply no amount of communicating, how little time, you want spent with these guys!
At Zoomination, we want to save you time with our Automation blogs.
And there’s no better way to start, than being able to identify these behaviors, and stay away if you can.
They Talk About All Things They Can’t Control
We get it. There are massive things, above our heads, that we can’t control but will feel the impact of.
So what?
If you find that this person spends 40-60% of their time, “venting” about the things that they can’t control – we’re sorry to tell you – that is no longer “venting.”
Whether it’s a coping mechanism, or simply a means to relieve themselves of the hassle of taking action today, spending precious time talking about the huge things you can’t control, will simply never be productive.
Getting good at discerning what’s worth your time complaining about, and what isn’t, isn’t easy but makes it easier for your surrounding friends, coworkers and associates to spend their time wisely, talking about what they can control.
There Is No Grander Vision (Somewhere)
Simply put, what matters to the people around you? Do you know?
If you are a family person, we’ll know! We’ll understand that you’ll want to discuss what matters, when it counts, for the wellbeing of your family.
Or if you’re chasing personal excellence – we know not to get in your way – if anything, we’ll want to help you get further than before. Perhaps you seek to be a good friend, or a great business partner, or stay highly creative, day in and day out.
These are things that you value.
But if you have, literally nothing, nothing to look forward to, nothing to work towards and can only hope for the weekend, when it arrives…
You can expect the conversation to simply go… Well, we don’t know?
That “Creative Spark” Isn’t There
You’ve met people that are wicked sharp, on a dime.
In fact, there’s nothing you can say to them, that won’t give you a shockingly-fun answer, every time.
And then, there are the conversations you simply, expect.
Each time, you can poke, prod and discover tidbits of changes here and there, but ultimately, each conversation fades into the last conversation… a babble of mindless chatter, aimed at nobody in particular and yet, eats your time up all the same.
The question you have to ask is…
How much time do you have for this? In your day, the value of the conversations you keep, will tell you how good your day goes, how good your week is and how productive you feel at the end of a month.
Having excellent conversations with engaging people that you love speaking to – isn’t as much about seeking out new and interesting people all the time, as it is about removing yourself from conversations that don’t serve you anymore.
We’ve named a few pointers – but ultimately, it lies in your ability to choose the conversations you want, in your life.
