One of the biggest problems when we are talking is the awkward silence. Encountering this situation is so uncomfortable that you would avoid meeting new people in the first place. In the past, I struggled with this and I even thought it had to do with my DNA or something… But later I learned that once you know how to keep those words flowing, you can meet and talk to anyone you like, which helps create great possibilities for friendship, fun and shared activities that you would otherwise have missed out on.

After studying this in depth, I had different opinions and found that one of these common behaviors is the habit of filtering (过滤)—holding back from saying something until you've "checked" to make sure that what you're about to say is cool, impressive and interesting. Another problem is not learning to get in the mood for conversation. If you don't know how to change from subjects, then it can take a lot of time to warm up.

It is the reflex (习惯性思维) that allows you to say whatever goes on in your mind. It's fun to realize that you're allowed to say whatever is on your mind. As long as you don't say anything that could land you in jail (监狱).

All of the "Oh! That's interesting…" "Hmm, I've never heard of that" "Hmm, cool!" expressions are reactionary (保守的) bits of conversation that prove to the other person that you're really listening. This works 99% of the time. So, if you show some interest, they'll hang around and want to talk to you even more.

Everyone knows that stories juice-up conversations, but most people only talk about stories of their own lives. When someone mentions something related to any of them, just tell the story, even if it's not from your life. The more interesting, stranger or more frightening they are, the harder they are to forget.

We are all born social and company to live happy and fruitful life. Healthy and supportive mutual relationships help reduce stress and promote the physical, mental and emotional well-being by building skills like time management, assertiveness(自信), sociability and empathy.

Making friends has made me feel secure. However, I have to be cautious to pick up friends sharing similar tastes and values. In addition, having added to one’s circle of friends helps one feel supported.

It is true that finding time to cultivate relationships is all about effective time management. My busy uncle finds time to catch up with family and friends during his tea and lunch breaks. Similarly my friend Somya uses her time on her way back home from work in her chauffeur-driven car to catch up with people. The modern inventions of SMS and e-mail help send wishes for birthdays and anniversaries to show your love and care.

Assertiveness is as much applicable to relationships. My friend Mohana emphasizes that neither being a passive observer nor being aggressive helps relationships. It is assertiveness in our relationships that opens the lines of effective communication. It emphasizes helping friends in need and also strengthens mutually supportive relationships.

It is also true that assertiveness by intuition promotes discretion of friends and helps Lalitha distinguish positive people from drains of energy. She can easily figure this out by the flow of the conversation, the way each feels understood, accepted and supported, and by how I feel, happy, bored or energized in the relationship. It also helps to know whether all benefit from each other’s positive aspects.

Handling stress in life is all about cultivating mutually supportive relationships and working on them. Manisha always says she feels great when sharing her feelings after a hard clay with people who share similar ideas. Actually we all need someone who would not just hear us, but listen to us, and we need to cultivate the art of listening and understanding people.

Your success as a manager can be determined by how you interact with people. The role of a manager as a leader is an important part of these interactions. Leadership involves influencing colleagues so that they follow a given direction or goal.【小题1】

The first is the “people function”. Here leadership helps to hold a group together and maintain the motivation of the group.【小题2】In this role the leader will ensure the group has sufficient funds to carry out its tasks. So a leader should be seen to have influence both outside the group and within the group.

Next comes the “task function”. Here leadership involves deciding what the tasks of the group of employees are and then making sure that they are carried out successfully.

The third is the “strategic function.” 【小题3】A group of workers that knows what they are trying to achieve will be more efficient and better motivated than a group that doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be doing.

【小题4】For example, how much power the manager has over the group, how well the manager knows the systems present in an organization and how many personal contacts the manager has within the organization.

Good communication is another crucial element to successful leadership. A good leader is aware both of the message to be communicated and of the importance of effective communication to influence members of the group. 【小题5】It is essential to be a role model for the policies you advocate. And remember, always accept responsibility for your mistakes and don’t blame colleagues for things that you do badly. No one is perfect. Just remember this when you interact with colleagues.