John and Marsha discuss various communication techniques to help conversations flow smoothly during the holiday season, even with troublesome family members. The focus is on keeping the atmosphere light-hearted and playful, with humor as an important tool.

Techniques to steer the conversation:

• “Yes, and…” Technique: Build on what someone is saying, but take the conversation in a different direction with absurdity.

• Pinball Method: Catch a subject and forward it to someone else to prevent one person from dominating.

• Ask questions: Ask impossible questions to slow down idea pushers in a humorous way.

• Story Sandwich: Briefly acknowledge someone’s story and then add something more fun to it.

• Conversation Potluck: Have everyone share a funny story or fact to break the tension.

• “Back and Remix”: Give a boring discussion a humorous twist.

• Emergency exit: Keep absurd conversation starters on hand to distract.

Erickson’s “That’s right” technique:

• Validate someone’s opinion with “that’s right” and subtly steer the conversation in a different direction.

• Combine this with the above techniques for extra finesse.

Dealing with connoisseurs:

• Instead of showcasing your expertise, acknowledge their perspective and share a small insight.

• Use the validation bridge technique: acknowledge their opinion, share an interesting fact, and distract the conversation.

• Offer a little bit of information, like a bite to eat, and move on.

Examples:

• Distract conversations about your field with humor and connect them with something festive.

• Use your expertise to share fun facts instead of correcting them.

• Make statistics a joke to keep the atmosphere light.

The key to success:

• Use warmth, humor and subtle guidance.

• Acknowledge other people’s perspective and create a bridge to inclusive topics.

• Be a party DJ: smoothly steer the conversation to a more entertaining topic without ruining the atmosphere.

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