This video offers practical tips on how to break the ice and engage in meaningful conversations. It emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself, building confidence, embracing silences, and practicing active listening to enhance communication skills.

Hey, we finally got a winner! Hey Wellcast, I'm Hannah. I'm Shannon. And we have a couple of ideas for your next video for the contest: how to break the ice when you're talking to someone. Thank you for watching and thank you for the videos. Bye! Bye! Truman Capote was a witty guy, famous for his conversational prowess and slightly ridiculous accent. He once said, "A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations. Due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet." If a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is doubtful about the potential for a good conversation, the rest of us are... well, we're screwed, right? I mean, it's crazy how difficult it is to hold a genuine conversation. And on top of that, it's really easy to stress out if the talk that you're thinking about having is really, really important. What if there will be awkward silence? What if you say something stupid? What if the 25,000 people out there that have subscribed to this cartoon think your silly voices are stupid, Caitlin? What if they figure out that the more boring version of myself is the voice on Superfoods? Calm down. That was for me, not you. We have some great tips that'll help you be more confident and get more out of your everyday conversations. Alright, you ready to get to talking? **Tip 1:** Above all else, to thine own self be true. You know, Shakespeare said that. Actually, that Polonius guy did. Okay, also a pretty witty guy. The first thing we want to stress is that even though you might be uncomfortable, you never have to be anyone other than yourself. So don't pretend to have seen a movie that you haven't, or be interested in puppies when you're exclusively a cat person for some reason. It'll just make the conversation more awkward and you'll get nothing out of it. **Tip 2:** Confidence. Hey, don't apologize or act self-deprecating. It's not a good color on anyone. Be confident in your opinions and yourself. Now we know what you're thinking. Easy for you to say, Wellcast, you've got like 25,000 subscribers. Well, yeah, we do. We're pretty awesome. But so are you. Try our confidence-building exercise in our bullying episode and unleash the happy. You deserve it. **Step 3:** Don't stress out over periods of silence. Hey, there will likely be short stretches of the conversation when neither of you says anything. This is fine. A few short silences between topics is normal. Resist the urge to fill those silences, though, with meaningless noise. Have you ever heard someone say, "So, um, you've seen the Hunger Games? It's pretty crazy, huh?" and not groaned a little bit on the inside? So instead, set the tone of the conversation as respectful and laid back. Allow silences and encourage the other person to be okay with them by letting the point rest every now and then. **Tip 4:** Be an active listener. Go on. Often, participants are spending more time thinking about what they're going to say next rather than truly listening to the other person.