Runion Meryl - Perfect phrases for icebreakers hundreds of ready-to-use phrases to set the stage for productive conversations, meetings, and events

PERFECT PHRASES for ICEBREAKERS

Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases to
Set the Stage for Productive Conversations,
Meetings, and Events

Meryl Runion with Diane Windingland

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ISBN: 978-0-07-178383-5
MHID: 0-07-178383-0

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Awkward and painful. Thats how a brilliant friend and colleague described her recent experience at a professional meeting. She didnt know anyone sitting around her and was clueless about how to break the ice. Her reluctance to initiate conversation caused her to avoid even making eye contact. Retreating inward, she missed out on potential networking relationships all around her. Here was someone who has so much to offer anyone lucky enough to engage in conversation with her yet she remained silent.

These people keep me up nights. I need a resource to give to themas well as to those who do know how to break the ice but dont know how to do it in purposeful ways or to keep the connection going. In other words, I need a simple resource that combines the wisdom of both introverts and extroverts to help people launch meaningful discussions with people they dont know. And thats exactly what this book is.

Dont get me wrong. I have hundreds of ice-breaking resources on my shelves. So whats different about this one? Most of the available icebreaker books are about getting teams and groups to get to know each other to break the tension in the room. Perfect Phrases for Icebreakers is focused on interaction more than activity. Plus, the chapters are designed so that each interaction is purposeful. It also has plenty of icebreakers for one-on-one conversations as opposed to most books that are group focused. All of that makes this book relevant and fun to use in almost any situation.

With this book, you have a stockpile of well-considered and effective icebreakers at your fingertips. You have sure-fire approaches to break the ice with any group. You can create synergy and connections that lead to better productivity, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

Your networking ability matters more than ever before. Perfect Phrases for Icebreakers will give you the confidence and tools to start conversations that will lead to amazing connections. Get ready to use them. The world is waiting to meet you.

Sarah Michel, CSP
Author of Perfecting Connecting:
A Guide to Mastering Networking
in the Workplace

Well begun is half done. That ancient wisdom applies to many things, including conversations. People are engaged by and often remember your very first words best. However, we often wrestle with those very first words, the icebreaker phrases, the most.

People agonize over how to start certain conversations and meetings. As a speaker on interpersonal communication topics, I am often asked, How do I start this conversation? I have effective methods and phrases that I know work. In fact, the collaboration on this book is the result of a relationship that started by my reaching out to Meryl Runion with icebreakers.

My icebreakers have served me for many years, but after collaborating with Meryl, I have so many more to choose from. And now you do too, in this practical book, Perfect Phrases for Icebreakers. It offers hundreds of ready-to-use new phrases for almost every business conversation, meeting, or event. If you want to get your conversations and meetings off to a good start, engage people immediately, and increase the probability of productive results, you can discover just the right phrases in the following pages. You can become a phrase master.

Meryl Runion is a phrase master. If coming up with phrases were a martial art, Meryl would be a tenth-degree black belt. I guarantee you will experience several aha moments as you read through the phrases. Aha, thats what I want to say! Or, Aha, that phrase will go over so much better! I had those very thoughts as I read through the phrases and contributed my own.