How to talk to impressive people?
Someday you will meet (or maybe you already have met) a person you consider impressive and to whom you have always looked up. This might be a famous actor, musician, a high level CEO, maybe a professor or – perhaps – a politician.
You will certainly be asking yourself what you should say, how you should act and what behaviour is appropriate.
Have a conversation
These encounters or meetings do not take place every day and those ‘VIPs’ seem so far removed from your daily life that you are convinced it will be hard to make conversation. In reality – and we are sure you are aware of this – they are people just like you and me. You should, therefore, approach them as ordinary people and not as the ‘fantasy image’ you have of them. Ask them questions just like you would ask any other person. You can, of course, tell them that you are a fan and why, but do not exaggerate because this may put them off and could even build a barrier between you.
Obviously, it is a good idea to prepare in order to know something about the person and have some pertinent questions ready.
Get personal
Why not get personal and tell them something about yourself? Recount a story about yourself, for example. Again, be realistic and do not exaggerate. The chances are that the VIP will, in turn, share some of her/his own stories with you.
Follow-up
Finally, on a professional basis, you should follow-up, picking up on some of the subjects you talked about.
We hope you will feel a little more comfortable next time you sit next to a celebrity, star or even the CEO of your multinational company. Have you already had a similar experience in the past? What were your thoughts at the time and how did it go?
