Have better conversations using the FORD method

Don't know what to talk about with someone? Do you hate uncomfortable silence? Want to become a better conversationalist? In this video, I will teach you the FORD method of conversation. "FORD" stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. These are perfect topics for conversing with anyone, including people you don't know very well. I will give you many examples of FORD questions to ask. You can use these questions to keep a conversation going and connect with people. FORD is a great tool for anyone who wants to improve their small talk skills and become more likeable. https://www.engvid.com/ford-method-small-talk/

TRANSCRIPT

ello. My name is Emma, and in today's video I am going to teach you how to be better at conversation and speaking. Okay? So, in this video I'm going to teach you about how to become better at conversation with a technique. We call the technique "F-O-R-D" or "FORD". This technique will really help you if you're shy, if when you meet people for the first time you don't know what to say, if you feel very uncomfortable at parties or in meetings or any social events. This is a great technique. Even if you're amazing at socializing, this video can still really help you even improve more than what you already can do. So let's get started.

Okay, so the first thing I want to talk about is we use FORD as a way of small talk. So, what is small talk? Okay? Small talk is the type of conversation we have with people we don't know well or strangers. So, you might make small talk with your neighbours, you might make small talk with your boss, with your colleagues, maybe if you're, you know, going to a coffee shop you might make small talk with the store clerk. So, you make small talk with people you don't know well and it's just a way to make people feel comfortable in conversation and to create a connection with people. A lot of conversation is small talk. If anyone has ever talked to you about the weather, sports, you know, all sorts of different topics - these are usually small talk topics. So, again, you might make small talk at parties, in elevators, at meetings, even if you're taking English classes you will probably make small talk there as well.

So, how do we get good at small talk? What do we talk about when we don't know what to talk about? Well, that's where FORD comes in. FORD is a technique which will help you know what to talk about when you really have no idea. So maybe this has been you before. Okay? Maybe this is you: "What should I talk about? Ah." Or, you know, maybe it's just a bunch of question marks. "I don't know what to say." It's totally silent. It's awkward. So, how can we fix this situation? Well, FORD stands for four things. "F" stands for "family". You can talk about family, and I'm going to give you some great questions you can use to ask about somebody's family. "O" stands for "occupation" or job. I'm going to give you some great questions about occupation that you can ask somebody you don't know well to keep the conversation going. "R" stands for "recreation", this is like hobbies, sports, movies, Netflix, TV. Okay? So I'm going to give you some great questions for hobbies or recreation. And finally, "D" stands for "dreams". This is when you ask somebody about their future goals or, you know, something they want to do. This does not... Dreams does not mean when you go to sleep, if you have some weird dream and you share it with somebody. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about your dreams in life. What are your goals? Okay? So using the FORD technique will make you better at small talk. So, now let's look at some specific questions you can ask when you're socializing with somebody who you don't know that well.

Okay, so again, the "F" in FORD stands for "family". Family is a great thing to talk about, but remember to keep it light and easy. Okay? You want to talk about things people are comfortable with. So don't ask them any private questions, you know, like: "Oh, is it true so-and-so cheated on so-and-so?" No, no, no. Keep it light, simple, and easy. And also share about your own family, too. Okay? That's also very important. You don't want to sound like the FBI interrogating somebody. You want to have a conversation, so each time they say something, you can say something about yourself. So keep it kind of balanced.

Okay, so one easy question you can talk about: "Where are you from originally?" Okay? "Where are you from? Are you from Toronto? Are you from Tokyo? Are you from Istanbul? Where are you from?" This question is great because you can really talk about the difference between your cities and, you know, maybe some of your experiences growing up. Similarly: "Where did you grow up?" A lot of people have moved a lot, so maybe they were born in this city, then they moved to Mexico, and then they moved here. So that's also another interesting question.