This time, though, I approached her and asked her if I could take a seat. She looked like she was in her early thirties. She smiled, and I sat down.
"Sorry, could I bother you and ask you for the time?" I asked her.
She politely did so.
And after she'd given me the time, I started another conversation thread and introduced myself. Had I just stopped after she'd given me the time, the conversation would have ended.
She introduced herself as Kathy. Turned out she was an instructor at the Language Centre in UST where she taught the Business Communications course to second year students. She'd grown up in Hong Kong, studied for her Masters degree in Birmingham, and then returned to Hong Kong to teach at the Vocational Training Centre.
We had an interesting conversation about journalism, how she ended up in UST, and her British accent (when I pointed it in a non-teasing manner).
Conversation Tip:
- Conversation Threads are very important. Find a way to continue the conversation by changing topics, but still linking it to what you were just talking about. "By the way...", "Out of curiousity..." are both great thread-linkers...
Conversation Threads Examples:
- First, ask for the time. Thank the person when they reply, then start a new conversation thread by saying, "By the way, my name is _____ and you are?"
- If you're talking about her hobbies [say, she enjoys sports], you can start a new conversation thread by saying, "By the way, did you catch the game last night?"
