Hold effective conversations

Choose a subject of general interest.
If it’s up to you to steer the conversation, always go for what people already know about. This keeps people from tuning out during the conversation.

Keep it happy.
Refrain from speaking at length about your own woes, or speaking negatively about someone else. Always have people laughing when you say goodbye.

Remove the ‘I’ from your conversations.
It’s easy for us to talk about ourselves, but it could get boring to those listening. So, talk less about you and more about your listener’s interests.

Avoid platitudes and hackneyed phrases.
If you have nothing fresh or interesting to say, choose to remain silent instead. A huge part of making conversation is letting others do the talking.