How to break the ice in professional conversations

The secret to successful development of business relationships lies in the art to induce others to talk with us. Whether you are preparing for a meeting with a new customer, business partner or employee, you need to know how to "break the ice". Cbsnews.com brought a list of 21 useful questions to ask at such a moment to kick a professional conversation. We have summarized some of them here:

  • What do you most enjoy about your work and when have you choosen this career?

  • Who influenced you most when choosing your career?

  • What was your greatest business success in the past year?

  • What are you looking forward to most in the next six months?

  • What were you impressed the most by in your field in the last year?

  • What s your secret of effective people management?

  • What kind of leaders do you value?

  • What changes do you expect in the industry in the near future?

  • By contrast, want do you plan to stop doing next year?

Even more interesting discussion can be achieved by asking  "Why?" after each question.

-kk-

Article source CBS MoneyWatch - server of the CBS media group related to management and sales
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