• Replies 2 replies
  • Subscribers 81 subscribers
  • Views 1551 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Single topic conversation and one side

Colin-pilot

Hi,

I am after some advice on how to "teach" (its the wrong word but you will get what I mean) my 17 year old son the art of conversation. I love talking to my son, he has a wicked sense of humour but I have concerns that he only has one typic of conversation, he never moves the conversation on to other topics nor is it a balance conversation (he does all the talking).

What worries me is that when he moves into the working environment etc that people will ignore him due to his conversational skills.

I have tried to say to him that when talking to others that he shouldn't always talk about things he is comfortable with etc but he seems to take offence.

Are there any tips/tricks to help when having these conversations? I want my son to be able to converse with confidence and be able to form good bonds with people.

Many thanks

Parents

  • I hate to say this but normal people's conversation is often tedious and superficial - Eastenders, BGT, the weather etc. - and often revolves around reinforcing social status - but we have real passion about our subjects so without anyone interesting to bounce back at us, we end up accidentally delivering monologues -  just waiting for someone to show they too have passion about things.

    The easiest way for you to see this is introduce him to other equivalent nerds in whatever subject he's passionate about - I think you'd see him sparkle in that environment with the rapid exchange of data between themselves.

    Depending of what job and what environment he ends up in, the people there will either be on his wavelength or not.      I've been in science and engineering my whole life so I fitted in there better than any other places.

    Dumping him into a political environment (office jobs) will be hell - all the others will be trying to screw each other over so he will be seen as a soft target.

    Your time may be better spent figuring out what environment will be better for him where his skills and passion are seen as a positive.

    What's his 'thing'?

Reply

  • I hate to say this but normal people's conversation is often tedious and superficial - Eastenders, BGT, the weather etc. - and often revolves around reinforcing social status - but we have real passion about our subjects so without anyone interesting to bounce back at us, we end up accidentally delivering monologues -  just waiting for someone to show they too have passion about things.

    The easiest way for you to see this is introduce him to other equivalent nerds in whatever subject he's passionate about - I think you'd see him sparkle in that environment with the rapid exchange of data between themselves.

    Depending of what job and what environment he ends up in, the people there will either be on his wavelength or not.      I've been in science and engineering my whole life so I fitted in there better than any other places.

    Dumping him into a political environment (office jobs) will be hell - all the others will be trying to screw each other over so he will be seen as a soft target.

    Your time may be better spent figuring out what environment will be better for him where his skills and passion are seen as a positive.

    What's his 'thing'?

Children
No Data