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Would You Talk To A Complete Stranger? The 6 Magic Words To Start A Conversation!

 I sat in Temperance Cafe, Leamington, today, working on StoryTelling Corner when a couple came in and sat down close by.

I heard the man talking about the cafe and guessed that he's been before but his girlfriend had not.

"Have you seen downstairs?"

The man nodded but the girl replied "No".

I love the cafe and described the history of the building and the special place the basement plays in the entertainment quality of Temperance.

"Do you like stories?" I asked.

Her face lit up. Pure energy and joy transformed what was an already attractive woman into a picture of real beauty. Her eyes lit up. Her mouth opened wide in a smile even as she began to gush about her love of Victorian tales and myths.

Her Liverpool accent became stronger as excitement streamed from every pore (I hold my hand up as a male old enough to be her grandfather) the rest of the room disappeared into a haze as we spent, what, a few seconds, a few minutes talking about telling stories.

I asked about opportunities in Liverpool for storytelling and was surprised to hear her say that she hadn't found any- perhaps she just hadn't been prompted- but I gave her a note to look up the Society of Storytellers and the link to StoryTelling Corner. I hope she takes them up. Because the few minutes we spent in the cafe proved that she had the basis to be a wonderful teller of tales. But, the virus has swept the world and, sadly Temperance Cafe closed its doors in March 2020 (and though it looks as if it will open again this summer I believe changes have been made to the programmes.) So, it was the end of StoryTelling Corner. But, not the end of storytelling. The venture has been saved by Zoom and worldwide online storytelling groups-a virtual theatre. So, here I am talking to strangers every week and expanding the horizons of the tales I tell. And, that expansion has taken me back into the world of online networking here and in the USA. The benefits of talking to strangers have become easy for all to see. Unrestricted by travel costs many people took to Zoom and began the journey to where we are now, talking to heads in oblong frames. But, we are talking, though the tips and techniques of making an impact on camera are different to speaking to live audiences. I want to focus here on the opening sentence which, in my opinion, makes the difference between a comfortable connection and the short embarrassment which can follow a request about to be turned down. The 6 Magic Words. I have found, in my experience that these six magic words can make all the difference between success and failure, between a smile and a facepalm so would it be OK if we went through them? Those 6 Magic Words are: 1. Would 2. It 3. Be 4. OK 5. If 6. I/You/ We Then ask the question...and smile as you do it. Without failure those six words had elicited an involuntary 'nod' of the head,,, a 'Yes' to begin with... And, in my experience, these six words can work in emails as well... Try them! And, if you'd like to know more about making that first impact...Contact me on: ernie@erniesaid.info https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernieboxall/


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