The Art Of Conversation

The Art Of Conversation

By Georgina Rising, Sales Experience Manager at Maggie Marilyn

How are you?

It’s a question we ask so often, and one I personally ask hundreds of times a day in my role on Maggie Marilyn’s retail team.

I love knowing how someone is doing in a particular moment, what brought them to this space, where they’ve been or where they’re going, have they discovered something new? Those three words always lead us down a path of conversation and it’s become one of the most fulfilling moments in my workdays. No matter a person’s place in the world, the reason we’ve crossed paths or whatever their intent, I genuinely love being able to create a space for conversation - one of warmth and respect. It is my hope that anyone I come in contact with feels a genuine connection.

Ironically, chatting isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I always felt like the quietest girl at school (my friends might disagree), I was always nervous to approach conversations and new people; so much so that my very caring - and concerned - parents had my hearing tested at the tender age of three because I would hardly speak to my extended family. 

Let’s face it, being a Capricorn (read: sensitive, disciplined, ambitious) means it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that I’ve often resided on the introverted side of the spectrum. However, in my shyness, I didn’t realise I was also developing a brand new skill that would soon become one of my greatest strengths: Listening. Suddenly I found myself being able to truly tune into the conversation at hand, take in a person’s comments, questions and answers, and built the confidence to enter a conversation and say something that had meaning and substance.

A conversation I had with a friend a few days ago made me think about what a conversation really is, and what I realised was that there’s no secret formula: Conversing isn’t something we are taught, it is simply something we learn through living. We gather skills and techniques the more we use our conversational muscle, and we activate that muscle when we’re thrown into a new environment where we have to adapt based on the information in front of us. 

I was once told I’m someone who doesn't’ waste my words, and when I look back at that moment now I feel a sense of pride. It shows a considered nature and tenderness that I didn’t know I had. A real and genuine conversation goes beyond being able to respond to a question, it’s being able to listen deeply, break down barriers, release judgement and create a space of calm. 

So next time we find ourselves in one of those all-too-familiar interactions, are we able to stop what we’re doing and give the person in front of us our undivided attention. To ask that simple question: How are you, really?