The Fine Art of Small Talk:
How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills—and Leave a Positive Impression!
by Debra Fine
BJ2121 .F5 2005
New Book Island, 2nd floor
I’m heading to Seattle to a conference this weekend, which provides a source of inspiration for this week’s New Stuff Tuesday, as networking and socializing is a large part of attending such gatherings.
Every social occasion presents an opportunity for mingling with new people and… those awkward pauses, uncomfortable fidgeting, stuttering. Whether you find yourself in these situations often or not, handling those conversations can be critical. Fine, successful corporate trainer, presents this quick read on how to master ’small talk.’ As she points out, you never know if those fleeting encounters can turn into contacts, business partnerships or social relationships. The book goes in detail on not only initiating conversations with perfect strangers, but also how to maintain the talking, which is sometimes more difficult than the approach. So if you don’t feel like your social skills are quite up to par, you might want to take a look at this book.
Looking for some “good reads” this summer? We have suggestions…
Check out the display cases in the Library lobby to see samplings of government documents, and Library resources on gardening and the outdoors.
More information is available in the Library collections and online.
For example, if you are planning a trip within Wisconsin–to save gas many people are vacationing near home this year–you might check the Wisconsin Outdoor Report (updated every Thursday by the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources with information you can use, such as fishing reports, wildfire conditions, birding reports, and more) and the State Park Conditions Report. Or forget the gas and check the online Wisconsin county bike condition maps! Another useful site is TravelWisconsin.com which includes a searchable event listing.
The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!
Back in May 2007, I wrote a post about alternatives to Wikipedia (view original post), one of which was a serious contender to the ever-popular, user-generated/edited encyclopedia and the other being a spoof. Since it’s Friday, Wired Magazine found even more pedias, some useful, some for fun. I thought that Dealipedia was interesting, and I’m sure that Barb would probably find Congresspedia to be utterly fascinating. On the other hand, I’m sure Chickipedia could be a serious time waster for some of you.
Source: 8 Best: Non-Wikipedia Pedias from Wired Magazine
Our newspaper readers may have noticed that The Capital Times has disappeared from our current newspaper shelves. This is because the print edition has ceased. However, the paper still exists in an online version which is updated daily. You can access this material at captimes.com or through the Wisconsin State Journal homepage, as both are owned by the same company. Another convenient way to find full-text articles published by the Capital Times is through ProQuest Newspapers. You can browse both current issues and back issues a far back as 1991. Or just go to the Journal Holdings List and type in Capital Times to go straight to the newspaper.
Everyone has probably heard that you should be mindful of your carbon footprint – you know, what you do and its environmental impact. Well, as I was flipping through a magazine, I read that there’s another footprint to consider!
In the June issue of Discover Magazine, Thomas Kostigen, the author of the article, writes that our water consumption not only includes the actual water consumed from the tap, but also the virtual water that we intake. What does he mean by virtual water? Virtual water encompasses the water used in the production of food and products, like clothing and furniture. When you compare foods, grains and vegetables require less water, which are harvested after a growing season, than their meat-bearing counterparts. Nothing is without a water footprint – even a sheet of paper and that leather bag you carry footprints of three and 6,340 gallons of water. Makes you think twice about what you eat and buy, no?
For more information about water footprints, check out waterfootprint.org, which information about virtual water and the water footprint concepts, as well as a calculator to see just what sort of wet footprint you’re leaving on the planet.
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