Q1. Suggest a few ways to improve small talk skills.

Ans.

1. Become more social. For many,lacking conversation skills boils down to their
lack of confidence in social or business settings. Reading up on how to develop
better communication skills can be helpful, but experts advise putting yourself
in social situations as often as possible. Pay attention to the flow of
conversations within your business or social circles. Observe those who seem to
be the most effective communicators. What techniques do they use? How do
they relate to others in the group? Listen to what they say and notice what they
don‟t say.

2. Be a good listener. This is not to say you should stand on the outskirts of a
conversation and just listen. Engage in the conversation. Be attentive to
whomever is speaking, and respond accordingly by nodding or smiling. Let the
speaker know you have been listening by commenting on the message. You will
gain more respect in social and business circles when you demonstrate good
listening skills.

3. Encourage the other person to talk. If you want to be considered a wonderful

conversationalist, just invite others to talk about themselves. We are all more
comfortable speaking about a subject that is familiar, and what is more familiar
to you than you?

4. Ask questions. Start a conversation or demonstrate your interest in what a

person is saying by asking questions. Open-ended questions elicit more
interesting responses. That‟s why they are called “conversation starters.”

5. Use body language to express interest in the conversation. This seems

elementary, but if you‟re observant, you‟ll notice that not everyone follows this
good advice. Face the speaker with unfolded arms. Lean forward slightly, if you
are seated. Make eye contact. Acknowledge statements with a nod, comment or
question when appropriate.

6. Know when to speak and when to listen. Conversation should involve give
and take. Each person in a conversation should speak and listen. Participate, but
don‟t monopolize. Sometimes, someone else puts you in the position of
monopolizing a conversation. This person asks question after question about
you without offering any information in return. Having someone express that
much interest in you may be the height of enjoyment and flattery but after a
while, it will begin to feel like an interrogation rather than a conversation.
Avoid interrogating others.
7. Be prepared. A good conversationalist engages the listener and stimulates the
conversation. Keep up with trends and current events so you‟ll have something
to talk about. Take a keen interest in others, but also live an interesting life of
your own. Try new things. Accept unusual invitations. Volunteer for causes that
interest you. Go back to school. Read. Meet new challenges, and then share
your experiences within social circles.

8. Model yourself after someone whose conversation skills you admire. Who is
your favorite conversation partner? We all know someone who gets positive
attention at social events and business meetings. Consider the people you look
forward to talking with. What makes them stand out in a crowd? What are some
of his most endearing qualities? How does she make you feel when you‟re
talking? Study her body language, opening and closing statements and speaking
style. To improve your conversation skills, mimic someone you consider
successful in this area.

Q2. What do you mean by Grapevine Communication? Discuss its merits

and demerits.

Ans. Grapevine communication is a type of informal social interaction in the

workplace. This type of communication focuses on how professionals share
information. If you're a manager or leader in your workplace, it's helpful to
recognize the types of grapevine communication occurring within the company.
In this article, we define what grapevine communication is, explain the different
types and share tips to teach you how to handle this type of communication.

Advantages of Grapevine Communication

 It gives mental satisfaction to the participants and gradually reduces

emotional outbursts and reactions.

 It provides informal feedback on the changes contemplated by the

management.

 Grapevine communication brings about a strong bond among peer groups.

 It keeps the employees anticipating and acts as a buffer against Shockwaves.

 It develops because of the involvement of the persons connected with an

organisation.
 It is fast and can supplement formal channels.

-Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication

 It may provoke sudden unexpected and unwanted reactions from

emotionally unstable persons.

 Grapevine, is definitely dangerous to the organisation health if permissible to

grow without monitoring.

 Industries and Business houses adopt one or several of these strategies to

keep grapevine under reasonable control so that it does not degenerate into a
rumour mill and promote unwanted gossip sessions among the staffs.

 It has the potential to spread irrelevant gossip.

 A transparent administration policy, interaction sessions, employee-friendly

attitude, parties, fruitful meetings of peer group, and outings where all those
linked with the organisation participate are few strategies to monitor
grapevine and use it to the benefit for the organisation.

 It may result in personal vilification and character assassination of persons.

 Grapevine channels can be moderated but not eradicated.

 Grapevine channel exaggerates or distorts the message content.

Q3. “Social media is changing relationships across the world.” Explain.

Ans.

Allows You to Connect with More People

As we look at the first trend, we note that social media enables us to connect with
many more people, from all walks of life, than we might normally meet in a
normal work-week..

With this increase in number of connections and frequency of contact, you'll also
see that you have access to many more ideas and resources than ever before. You
can crowdsource the best information to solve our particular business issues.
Research shows that, generally speaking, more opinions create a better result
Given the informal nature of social media, it‟s easy to approach someone you‟d
like to meet, and this can be done more easily and fluidly. It‟s easier to extend
your sphere of influence and enlarge it to include people you‟d like to meet, or
would like to know better. This means that influence will beget more influence.

Makes it Easy to Overestimate Levels of Intimacy

While these aspects are positive and useful to us in our businesses, we also need to
be aware of the downsides of social media, at least as far as our social
relationships go.

In business, this means you need to make certain that you‟re investing in the right
balance of online and offline relationships for your personal and professional
success.

You're More Susceptible to the Social Media Contagion Effect

While this research looked at offline social networks, it may have some
implications for online social networking as well.

If someone in your online social network is angry, lonely, or hostile, and takes it
out on you, you‟re more likely to „transmit‟ this mood yourself. This means that
even though you may never have met this person or interacted with them in real
life, their “bad behavior” can still influence yours.

Second, given that even „private‟ online conversations are not really private,
something you say off the cuff can have lasting negative impact, in even
unintended ways. What started out as a thoughtless remark can spread quickly to
your detriment.

Comparing Yourself with Others

Another downside of our social media relationships can be that our successes feel
diminished and our failures amplified.

With the inrush of so much information about how other people are living their
lives, or conducting their businesses, it‟s easy to feel that we can‟t compete. We
might also feel some pressure to demonstrate a certain persona, as we know that
people are always watching us. It can feel like we‟ve traded a real-life rat race for
an online one.
THANK YOU!!