82 PowerPhrases in Action
If this person has something you want, you have just missed an
opportunity.
Think about the important relationships in your life. Didn’t
they begin with small talk? Think about the important conver-
sations in your life. Didn’t they begin with small talk? As Deb
Fine says in The Fine Art of Small Talk, big things begin with
small talk.
So how do you get a conversation going if all you have to
go on is a simple “How are you?” Use PowerPhrases to perfect
the connection. Let’s take a look at how the PowerPhrase prin-
ciples apply to small talk. Remember, a PowerPhrase is a short,
specific, targeted expression that says what you mean and means
what you say without being mean when you say it.
PowerPhrases to Perfect the
Connection Are Short
I confess I recently opened a conversation with a banquets man-
ager with the standard and not very inspiring, “How are you?”
When I say our PowerPhrases ought to be short, that’s a bit too
short!
To my surprise and delight, the banquets manager told me
exactly how she was doing. She replied,
I’m great because it’s almost the weekend and I love my
weekends!Her response was short, but it was long enough to give me
something to work with. My question was a simple question
that usually does little to get a conversation going. But her reply