Talk

Conversation Starters That Work

Instead of "how are you" (dead-end), use questions that show you paid attention last time:

"What new thing are you working on?"
"I was just thinking of you — how's [specific thing] going?"
"Last time you mentioned working on [X]... how did that turn out?"

The pattern: reference prior context → show genuine curiosity → open-ended question. This communicates "I remember you, you matter, I'm interested."

Voice Mechanics

Talk from diaphragm, not throat. Best demonstrated: how you speak while half-asleep — relaxed, resonant, effortless. Throat-talking sounds strained, loses projection, and tires quickly.

The Chocolate Principle

Wrap the sour medicine with a layer of chocolate. By the time they realize, it's already done.

Translation: deliver uncomfortable truths inside a frame the listener is already comfortable with. Don't lie — just sequence the delivery so resistance doesn't activate before the message lands.

Bad delivery	Good delivery
"Your product is failing"	"The growth numbers are strong in [X] — here's what might unlock the rest"
"You're wrong about this"	"I see why you'd think that — here's what changes when you add [data]"
"This idea won't work"	"What would need to be true for this to work?"

My Take

I'm naturally bad at the chocolate wrapper. My default is direct delivery, which works with high-trust, high-context people but creates friction everywhere else. The skill I'm developing: same substance, better packaging. Not because truth needs wrapping — but because landing truth matters more than launching it. See Formal Comm for the structured version.