Good morning. Good day. Hello, my friends. There are numerous ways that we greet one another. Our greetings often depend on whom we are greeting, where we are greeting them, and how well we know them.
- Show me some ways you might greet your peers without using words. (Answers will vary: fist bump, hug, chest bump, high five, nod, elaborate handshake, etc.)
- What are some words you might use when greeting your peers? (Answers will vary: hi, yo, hey, hello, ‘sup, wassup, dude, peace, etc.)
- What is the difference in the way you greet your friends and the way you greet someone your age whom you do not know? (Answers will vary: for those we do not know we might use a shy hi, hello, nod, or small wave, etc.)
- What is the difference in the way you greet someone your own age and the way you greet adults much older than you? (Answers will vary: adults might be greeted with a hello or handshake while stating the person’s name with Mr., Miss, or Mrs.)
Show the following video [3:47; watch as much as time allows]:
People from 12 Countries Show Us Their Greetings! l Greetings in America, China, Thailand, France…
After we have greeted another person, unless we are simply passing each other in the hall or on the street, a conversation of some type will take place. This might be small talk about the weather or a shared interest, or it can develop into a deeper conversation.
- How do you get a conversation started with someone you know? How do you know what to say? (Answers will vary; conversation may happen naturally, picking up on any topic they are used to discussing; we tell of both fun and challenging experiences, etc.)
- How do you get a conversation started with someone you do not know? (Answers will vary; compliment them on something; talk about something in common like school, sports, food, music, clothes, or people; discuss the weather or something they are looking at, etc.)
- When have you found yourself feeling awkward, not knowing how to go about a conversation? (Answers will vary.)
Conversation comes easy for some and is a bit more challenging for others. Our comfort level with the person we are speaking with can make a big difference in how easy conversation is for us.
- With whom are you so comfortable that conversation flows naturally, regardless of the topic? (Answers will vary.)
Talking with someone we can’t physically see and hear may or may not seem different to us than approaching a flesh-and-blood person. How do we greet the Creator of the universe? What do we say; what does He want to talk about? Let’s find out from Someone who knows all about it.
