We need to communicate to others to establish a relationship and to have better understanding.

However, there are times when miscommunication

occurs. It is important that we know how to adjust and be able to communicate effectively.

Cohen (1990) states that strategies must be used to start and maintain a conversation. Knowing and
applying grammar appropriately is one of the most basic strategies to maintain a conversation. These
are the strategies that people use:

1. Nomination – employed when you try to open a topic with the people you are talking to. You
may start off with news inquiries and news announcements as they promise extended talk. This
could signal the beginning of a new topic in the conversation.

2. Restriction – refers to any limitation you may have as a speaker. You are given specific
instruction that you must Follow. These instructions confine you as a speaker and limit what you
can say.

3. Turn-taking – pertains to the process by which people decide who takes the conversation floor.
There is a code of behavior behind establishing and sustaining a productive conversation, but
the primary idea is to give all communicators a chance to speak.

4. Topic Control – covers how procedural formality or informality affects the development of topic
in conversations. This is achieved cooperatively. When a topic is initiated, it should be
collectively developed by avoiding unnecessary interruptions and topic shifts. You can say “Yes,”
“okay,” “go on,” or asking tag questions to be actively involved without dominating.

5. Topic shifting – involves moving from one topic to another. You have to be very intuitive. Make
sure that the previous topic was nurtured enough to generate adequate views. You may say, “by
the way,” “in addition to what you said,” “which reminds me of,” and the like.

6. Repair – refers to how speakers address the problem in speaking, listening and comprehending
that they may encounter in a conversation. For example, if everybody in the conversation seems
to talk at the same time, give way and appreciate other’s initiative to set the conversation back
to its topic.

7. Termination – refers to the conversation participants’ close-initiating expressions that end a

topic in a conversation. Most of the time, the one who initiated the conversation takes
responsibility to signal the concluding cues. You can do this by sharing what you learned or
complete the discussion of the topic. If you will be able to use these strategies well, you will be
good in handling conversations. You will avoid miscommunication. However, you must also
consider the situation. You must choose your words wisely. What you say must depend on what
the situation calls for. For example, if you are just talking with friends, then it is alright to be
casual and when you start and end the conversation, you need not be formal. Meanwhile, if you
are in a formal situation, you must start and control the conversation with care. Be polite
whenever you can. You have nothing to lose when you do that.