How to Develop Professional Contacts Into Relationships

"When we choose to engage, many people take the easy way out by defaulting to the usual greeting-some version of: "How are you?" To which the answer is usually "fine." The conversation is over before it has even started. Sometimes we decide to prolong the pleasantries by asking the routine follow-up, "What have you been up to?" The answer is predictable: "Not much, just working. What about you?" Thankfully, there are more interesting ways to engage that may actually spark a more meaningful connection."

"Conversation can do more than build rapport; it can build relationships. Despite their brief nature, short daily greetings have great potential. Jessica R. Methot et al. (2021), in a paper titled "Office Chitchat as a Social Ritual," investigated the role of small talk at the office, revealing it is both distracting and uplifting. They observe that small talk comprises nearly one-third of adult speech and may have significant consequences in the workplace."

Great relationships start with great questions. Asking about subjects the other person most enjoys discussing prompts more meaningful responses than routine greetings. Favorite conversational topics include professional goals, personal passions, and activities that energize people. Open-ended questions encourage robust, detailed answers and can transform brief daily interactions into opportunities for relationship-building. Small talk occupies a large portion of adult speech and influences workplace emotions and well-being. Office chitchat can be both distracting and uplifting, with short daily greetings enhancing positive social emotions and potentially affecting overall workplace well-being. Choosing interesting prompts increases chances of sparking deeper connection.

Read at Psychology Today