3 Ideas for Impromptu Talks

No matter how prepared you are for anything and everything at work, the one thing very few--if any--managers are prepared for is the on-the-spot talk.  Sure, we can wing it when we're speaking to our employees, but when our boss comes to us and says, "The owner is flying in tonight--I want you to pick him up and host him til dinner," what do you do?

I'm sure your mouth goes dry, your eyes glaze over and your heart starts screaming at you about that last...three...cups of coffee you had.  Stuttering becomes your new speaking disorder, and your palms become more like the Pacific Ocean than Phoenix.  After all that, though, what do you do?

You have a relatively short amount of time to come up with something.  Where do you start? Generally speaking, it's a good idea to avoid hot-button topics such as politics and religion; also, it would be best to avoid trite topics such as weather and that local sports team.

You know what to avoid, but what do you say?  Three ideas for you to latch onto would be as follows:

1. Ask.  Ask open-ended questions and get to know the person in a short period of time.  If the person your with is a high-ranking executive, he wasn't born into that position--and chances are, he'd love to tell you about his rise to power.
2. Listen.  If you're going to ask questions, listen to the answers and find commonality between the two of you.  Listen to what drives him, what irritates him, read his body language as best you can.  From there, you'll know what to talk about.
3. Speak.  Once you've asked the open-ended questions and listened to the answers, you've more than likely established some rapport with Das Uberbaus.  Keep in mind, however, that he/she is not your therapist, so don't delve into the recent debilitating rash you acquired and how it caused the bitter divorce you're going through.  Not only will the person look at you with some measure of disgust, you will also destroy whatever rapport you'd built.

Now, obviously, my last example was over the top, but you would be amazed at what comes from your mouth when stress and pressure is upon you.  I have watched confident and strong businessmen crumble and revert to their five year old selves in situations such as this.  Be strong!  Be confident!  But, most importantly, Be You!

For more ideas, check out Off the Cuff: What to Say at a Moment's Notice on Amazon.com!