Technique #21 Encore!

The sweetest sound a performer can hear welling up

out of the applause is "Encore! Encore! Let's hear it

again!" The sweetest sound your conversation partner

can hear from your lips when you're talking with a

group of people is "Tell them about the time you . . ."

Whenever you're at a meeting or party with

someone important to you, think of some stories he or

she told you. Choose an appropriate one from their

repertoire that the crowd will enjoy. Then shine the

spotlight by requesting a repeat performance.

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The added benefit of this technique is that, once you've got

them up and running with their conversation, you can sneak off

and find more interesting company!

One word of warning: make sure the story you request is one

in which the teller shines. No one wants to retell the time they lost

the sale, cracked up the car, or broke up the bar and spent the

night in jail. Make sure your requested Encore! is a positive story

where they come out the big winner, not the buffoon.

The full beauty of this technique will hit you like a happy

thunderbolt the first time you use it with someone who is telling

a long and wearisome tale. You simply tiptoe away and let the bore

spin the story on and on with your friend. (Of course, your friend

may never speak to you again. But that's not germaine to this

chapter!)

The next technique deals with sharing some positive stories of

your life.