<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Yoosh:
After a series of long and uninspiring business meetings, I would rather talk with a real person for a change. Who can be better than my seatmate? So, Explore, how exactly do you get your seatmate to strike up a conversation with you? ;-)</font>
The seatmate looked like she was on her way to a series of long and uninspiring business meetings, or sales calls, and I was an itinerant wanderer on a packed all-business Monday morning flight. My companion looked like she wanted about 60 seconds of idle chatter. So the mute routine felt best.
As to how Mr. Manners might encourage a conversation with a businesswoman: a relaxed caring comment and smile, just out of courtesy, can often break down business defenses. That's no problem, it's the continued conversation that takes some thought, given that madness is frequently not accepted in society.
[This message has been edited by Explore (edited 03-25-2002).]