Lesson 2 Checklist: Breaking the Ice: Conversation Skills for Community Building

Social Anxiety Management

Identified your specific conversation anxieties or concerns

Practiced the 3-2-1 grounding technique before social situations

Implemented at least one “before interaction” strategy to manage anxiety

Applied at least one “during interaction” strategy when feeling nervous

Practiced self-compassion after social interactions instead of harsh self-criticism

Created a personal list of 5-10 context-appropriate conversation starters

Practiced delivering your conversation starters with comfortable body language

Identified which types of starters feel most natural to you

Successfully used at least one conversation starter in a real situation

Noted which starters received the most positive responses

Applied the 2:1 ratio (listening twice as much as speaking) in a conversation

Practiced the pause technique before responding to ensure others finished speaking

Identified your most common listening blockers (rehearsing, judging, etc.)

Used reflective responses to confirm understanding in a conversation

Received feedback (verbal or non-verbal) that someone felt heard by you

Practiced asking open-ended questions that invite detailed responses

Used follow-up questions that showed you were listening attentively

Avoided the “interview” pattern by balancing questions with sharing

Tried deepening questions when appropriate to the relationship level

Noticed which questions led to the most engaging conversations

Identified your current comfort level on the conversation depth ladder

Successfully moved a conversation up one level on the depth ladder

Practiced appropriate self-disclosure to invite deeper exchange

Recognized and respected others’ conversational boundaries

Reflected on which conversation approaches felt most authentic to you

Engaged in at least three conversations using skills from this lesson

Sought low-stakes practice opportunities with service providers or casual acquaintances

Noted specific improvements in your conversation comfort or skill

Identified which aspects of conversation still feel challenging

Prepared to apply these skills in finding communities in Lesson 3