How to Expand Your Knowledge - My 8 tips

People who are really good conversationalists are in many cases great story tellers and can hold a conversation on a large variety of topics.  If you are knowledgeable in your field and you are well read on a variety of topics you have many great opportunities to get involved in good conversations.

Your networking skills can climb to a whole new level if you are willing to grow and develop your conversational subjects.  Read newspapers, magazines and books.  Pay attention to leading news items on television, listen to pod-casts and TED talks.  Sign up for evening classes and attend various cultural events.  Catch up on your travel time and visit interesting places.

When someone invests in personal development, they are setting themselves apart from the crowd with intelligence, experience and making themselves interesting.

Subscribe To Your Newspaper: You can subscribe to your local paper or a national paper.  You can also opt for a digital edition for a reduced rate.  You can go online and read any number of news articles from around the world.  When traveling grab a local paper at the airport, it's an opportunity to start a conversation with clientele, colleagues and friends.

Read Every Day: You should set a goal to read for at least 20 minutes each day.  Grab one or two books on subjects you know very little about.  Have room for both fiction and non-fiction books.  Pick a time of day when you will have time to read and not become distracted.

Multi-task: Audio-books or pod-casts can help you pass the time while commuting to work either with traffic or on a train.  Research, online, what topics are available for pod-casts and audio-books that you are interested in.  Read reviews and download a few to your smart phone.  Even if you have a short commute, you can get some info to look into.

Listen and Learn: If there is a group conversation on something you know little to nothing about, don't walk away.  Stick around and listen, ask questions  and offer any insight you might have from experience.

Sign up For Classes: Most areas have adult education classes that cover a wide range of topics including painting, writing and foreign languages.  In general, these classes are small, not very expensive and will give you the opportunity to learn something totally new.  If your area doesn't offer these classes, contact your community college or university and see what they might offer.

Attend Local Events: Most areas have events that gather regularly for social and professional reasons.  Most events focus on one topic such as an industry, profession, a culture or shared interest.  Sign up for some of these, it will give you the opportunity to make new connections while learning something new.

Visit Your Local Museum: You should take advantage of your local cultural and historical exhibits.  Go visit your museum and look into a topic you know little or nothing about.  If you have questions, there are museum employees who will be happy to help you out.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone: As you reach out to new opportunities, you will discover thousands of ways to meet new people while learning new things.  Listen to the knowledge of your friends, colleagues and acquaintances.  Show curiosity by asking questions.

This world is full of so much information and mysteries, reach out and discover all these great things.  Get out of your comfort zone.

JD xx

#actingpure #expandknowledge #conversationalist #networking