Is Making Good Conversation
Really An Art?
Well first of all, what is art? One of the many definitions the American Heritage Dictionary Fourth Edition gives for the word “art” is “a skill that
is attained by study, practice, or observation” (65). That’s the definition that best fits what we mean when speaking about the art of conversation.
Let’s take a closer look at three important parts of that definition, (“study”, “practice” and “observation”) and determine whether making good conversation
can be considered an art. If you don't mind, I'll start with the last one first.
Observation
From the first moment a baby’s eyes clearly focus on the world around it, that cute little bundle of curiosity begins to intently observe literally everything
in view. Talk to a baby and see how she pays unblinking attention to your face; looking into your eyes, studying your expression and watching your mouth form
words. That baby is learning to communicate.
That brilliant little mind is associating the movement of your lips and tongue with speech. It won't be long before he or she is making gurgling and cooing
sounds, taking her first steps towards being able to hold a conversation by observing what you do.
Practice
Anyone who has ever raised a child knows that once a baby starts making vocalizations, it rarely stops. The constant gurgling, cooing and unintelligible baby
talk all serve a purpose. That little child is learning to speak. Coordinating the proper movement of the mouth, the lips, and tongue to form words is not
an easy task, and it takes practice, lots of practice.
Once a child learns how to say words (“no” being among the first), the practice sessions don't stop there. Now the words have to be strung together to form
sentences. Proper grammar has to be learned, and the vocabulary increased. The child also learns the nuance of tone, pace and pitch. Practicing all these
aspects of speech are necessary if the child is going to hold a conversation.
Study
From nursery school onward a child’s communication skills are fine-tuned. Reading helps you learn proper sentence structure. Writing essays and papers
teaches you to clearly formulate your thoughts. Proper grammar is studied and the vocabulary is increased even more. All of these aspects of communication
are studied throughout the many years we all spend getting an education and cause us to be able to have an insightful intelligent conversation.
What do you think?
I'm sure you'll agree that based on the definition we examined; making conversation is in fact an art. Its something that we can learn from observation,
perfect by practicing, and improve upon by studying.
Don't be intimidated by the fact that making good conversation is an art. The great thing about this art form is that it’s not that difficult. The really
hard part, leaning a language or two, is an ability that’s hard coded into each of us by nature and is taken care of before we reach the age of three.
All we need to do to be come an expert at making good conversation is observe others who are good at it, study the basics and practice, practice, practice.
It’s as simple as that.
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