How aggravating is it when you are speaking to someone and the first word out of their mouth is "What?" My first reaction is thinking the person was not even listening to anything I was talking about or even paying attention to me. Frustrating, oh my yes, and also a waste of time for you and anyone else involved.

If you are as I am, a person that values their time, there are three tips that I can give you to prevent this type of encounter from ever happening.

Tip 1: When you first engage a person, start out with an introduction; initiate a handshake or some other simple greeting that makes the person engage you. What this first contact engagement establishes is eye contact and gives you a sense of whether this person is focused on you or potentially distracted by someone or something else.

Note: If the person is not interested, break off and move on. If you need to engage this person, do it at another time and try again.

Tip 2: Tell the person what the subject is you are going to speak to them about.

Ask them if they understand; and if the response is positive, press on and keep eye contact. You can tell if the person is maintaining eye contact that you’re the focus of attention; just be cautious of not making the eye contact an uncomfortable situation for them. Some people are not real comfortable in prolonged eye contact.

Tip 3: Depending on the situation and person, when the response is "What?" you can ask them a question to establish and understand why they responded in this manner. Often when speaking to someone, your tone or clarity may be the reason, and it is much better to understand this before each of you gets into a *What* back and forth conversation. At times people cannot hear certain tones or they may be hearing challenged. The better you understand the person the easier it will be to continue the conversation, and it also makes the person feel as if you are paying attention to them.

Remember, conversation is a two-way street; you must take charge and establish the other person’s listening level. On the same hand, check yourself to make sure you are not the *What* person! You are in charge of making your own successful way in this world; embrace it.