Nouning: Expansion Pack

[silverwex]

Nouning: Expansion Pack

You may be familiar with the concept that is Nouning. Here's the add-on...

Summary of Nouning

So you're out and you meet a HB. Your conversational skills aren't brilliant... what do you do? Try Nouning.

Nouning is, basically, taking the nouns from a reply you get from a HB.

Noun: A person, place or thing

You: So what do you do? (Boring question I know but a good example nonetheless)
HB: Oh, I'm in Trinity College in Dublin.

Nouns in the above reply: TRINITY COLLEGE and DUBLIN.

We'll pick DUBLIN to work with...

You: So whats the nightlife like in Dublin?
HB: Oh, it's great especially Renards Nightclub!

Noun in the above = Renards Nightclub

You: Renards eh? What's that like then?

And so on... You get the idea.


EXPANSION PACK

To add a bit of variety to your conversation use the 'question words':

- HOW
- WHY
- WHAT
- WHEN
- WHERE
- WHICH

Once you remember these you can pick which one to use in the conversation - there's no end to using these words. Example:


Take the noun DUBLIN again.

Now, use the 'question words' to form a question:

- HOW is Dublin looking these days?

- WHY did you choose to go to Dublin?

- WHATs happening in Dublin these days?

- WHEN do you get your summer holidays from college (in Dublin)?

- WHERE abouts do you socialise in Dublin?

- WHICH do you prefer, (her hometown name here) or Dublin?


Let's use the other noun, Renard's Nightclub, as another example:

- HOW is Renard's these days? (As in, is it busy)

- WHY did you choose to go to Renard's?

- WHATs the best day to go out in Renard's?

- WHEN do you go to Renard's?

- WHERE abouts is Renard's exactly?

- WHICH do you prefer, (other club name here) or Renard's?


Once you get used to using the above method, there's no way you can run out of things to talk about/say to the HB/person.

NOTE: This tip is inteded to get you INTO the conversation and kickstart the meeting - using this tip ALL the time will make you look robotic - so use sparingly.

 

[ethnomethodologist]

Stop Asking Questions!!!!!!

 

[Jariel]

I still remember your original nouning tip as it has been the same method I've used to build rapport and many connections with people.

Great tip for anyone having problems with conversation, and it comes tried and tested by me for years!

 

[ethnomethodologist]

Only using nouning in a convo will make you an info seeker. When nouning takes precedence over feelings/verbing you 'might' appear devoid of emotion (robotic)

I liked how giving this technique a quantity, and a quality was great. I saw it the first time, said, yep, that's good, and threw it to the side to think of another day.

The above argument is the key point that I saw as the debilitating factor.

This is a basic conversation topic, I was hoping you would expand on this. As in a true expansion, not simply a reminder of nouning, plus how to make it even more robotic.

 

[Jariel]

When you first meet somebody conversation is sure to be fairly robotic until you have built rapport. Really, at this point you're just talking for the sake of filling any silence and finding various points you can relate to.

But what you have to remember is that in practice this rarely transpires like an interview. Each question is followed by an answer and as the person is speaking, she/he is distracted from any awkwardness and starts feeling more comfortable with you.

Ideally, you would offer your own take on each subject that's brought up before moving to another question though. I.e.

"yeah, I know what you mean. I remember the last time I was in Dublin..." or "I've never been to Dublin, but I wouldn't mind visiting some time. I'll remember to look up Renard's."

 

[silverwex]

As stated before, this is just to get you into the conversation. No way should you ask question after question. You also need to input other things e.g. your opinion on something etc.

This can be helpful for guys beginning out.

 

[ethnomethodologist]

Alright, well one of the greatest nouns I take advantage of is WHO, it's also very proper, so they begin to feel(ss style) rapport just by talking about it.

 

[killbill]

I love this tip.