Getting to Know Each Other

Dinner is our social time, and usually, we eat in the bar. It’s open seating, reservations are not required as in the restaurant, and we never know who we will be seated with. Sometimes we meet people who have just moved in, or more often, we sit with people we know well.


Our conversation flows easily when we sit with people or individuals we know. The usual opening with people we do not know is, “where are you from? What did you do for a living, or are you a mother of children? If so, how many? Where do they live, what do they do, etc.?” In other words, we search for and make a connection. With new people, we make this our responsibility. With people we know, it’s mutual and easy.


Most are well educated, and we enjoy hearing their stories and questioning them when needed. Comfort is so important, and as expected, almost all of us choose (if the choice is available) to be with people we like and enjoy.


Often our conversation keeps us s at the table for a few hours. And just as often, it’s short and sweet. The subject matter makes a big difference. A recent example is the stories our single guest told us about her professional children and their work. We were so taken by her stories that we asked if she had written them down for her grandchildren. “No” was her answer, and we insisted that she does so as a necessary part of their histories. Apparently, we made an impression, as she recently informed us that she has begun to write her stories. Wonderful!

Sy

Author: Sy Ogulnick

Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows

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