The Art of Conversation:
“Tennis and the Art of
Conversation - Part III”
In Conclusion
So forget conversation as a mysterious art, but simply a game where you play at the same level as your partner
if you want the game to be fun. Think tennis with a friend, not an opponent. Think rally.
Try not to run off with the ball and bury it:
‘Hi, My name’s John.’
‘Is it?’
Try not to achieve anything with the conversation that may upset your partner’s game:
‘Hello, you remind me of my fourth husband.’
‘You’ve been married four times?’
‘No, three.’
Play at your partner’s level to keep the rally, and the game, going. Don’t try to outplay them:
‘I’ve always fancied trying gliding, but I think I might be a bit afraid,’
‘Yes, well, I’ve got my own glider, been world gliding champion twelve times, there’s nothing to it really.’
In a conversational rally, don’t forget to listen. To keep a rally going you have to be considerate. Don’t play shots that your partner doesn’t like:
‘I had a job as a rep in Tobago, but the uniform was hideous, the skirts were too short and men kept staring at me.’
‘I like girls in uniforms.’
Conversing with people you don’t know is a game, mutually engineered to be considerate, at the same level of play and played for fun rather than for points.
There are no winners or losers and, as with all games, the more you do it, the easier it gets…
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