Improve Your Conversations: Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Improv Comedy Techniques

by Patrick King

Does your mind blank in conversation and create awkward silences? Do you want to think faster on your feet? Do you run out of things to say, and suck at keeping a conversation going?
Or do you just wish you could be wittier and cleverer in every day conversation? Introverted? It’s easier than you think… all you need to do is just improv your conversations!

Improv(e) Your Conversations utilizes and teaches you how to use the ingenious framework from improv comedy and apply it directly to your every day social interactions and conversations… and can’t we learn something from the greatest improv comedians in the world like Tina Fey and Will Ferrell?

Improv comedy and memorable conversations have almost everything in common: from their premise, what makes them great, and their end goals. In this book, I have pieced together the 14 best actionable and practical techniques from the improv comedy world designed to create conversational flow and connection… and simply have better interactions.

You never know when a single conversation can change your life, so make sure that each one is memorable.

How will you learn to improv(e) your conversations?
• The number one cause of awkward silences and how to beat them.
• How to maintain an equal give and take for maximum conversational flow.
• The three topics you can always go to when your mind blanks.
• The mindset to always know what to say and think quickly on your feet.
• How to direct the conversation to exactly where you want.
• What Sherlock Holmes has to do with great conversations.
• Countless real-life examples…and much more!

Plus 14 insightful exercises to illustrate and practice each technique!
This is NOT a book of generic, vague tips like “fake it ‘til you make it” and “just make more eye contact and smile.” No, this is a book of real tips that you can implement today to immediately increase your conversational fluency and flow.

Think about all the benefits there are to improving your conversations!
• You will be able to avoid awkward silences and keep conversations going.
• You will learn how to make great impressions and be instantly likable.
• You will be able to make friends more easily, even complete strangers.
• Initiating conversations will be a snap, and you will be able to get past dry small talk into real discussion.
• You will be able to network better, and even be able to avoid boring interview-mode conversations.

Don’t hesitate to pick up your copy today by clicking the BUY NOW button at the top of this page!
P.S. Of course, everything is extremely applicable to interacting with the opposite sex!

Genres: Self Help, Communication, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Relationships, Social, Psychology

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2015

About the author

Patrick King is a Social Interaction Specialist, in other words, a dating, online dating, image, and communication and social skills coach based in San Francisco, California, and has been featured on numerous national publications such as Inc.com. He’s also a #1 Amazon best-selling dating and relationships author with the most popular online dating book on the market, and writes frequently on dating, love, sex, and relationships.

He focuses on using his emotional intelligence and understanding of human interaction to break down emotional barriers, instill confidence, and equip people with the tools they need for success. No pickup artistry and no gimmicks, simply a thorough mastery of human psychology delivered with a dose of real talk, perfected and honed through three years of law school.

Reviews

[Charmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. RULES OF IMPROV COMEDY:
- Don’t force others to answer broad questions because it puts a conversational burden on them and interrupts banter.
- Be as present and observant as possible so you can see where interaction is coming from, and where it wants to go.
- Provide specific details for people to relate to, react to, and run with.
- Never lead with “No” because it disregards the direction that someone wants to go and makes it more difficult to work towards a common, shared goal.
- Interactions must always be moving ahead because staying stagnant is death.

2. EMOTIONAL STATE:
- Flexibility and the ability to adapt to fit someone’s mood are paramount to any great conversation.
- When you understand the emotional state of your audience and other players, you are basically given a template for where to go, and when to go there.
- It’s all about seeing the given emotional boundaries for your conversation and catering towards what people are conveying and want to talk about.

3. LISTENING:
- When you repeat an element that you and your conversation partner talked about earlier, this shows to that person in no uncertain terms that you were listening to that person.
- This drives home the point that whatever they said is important enough to you for you to take notice and act on it.
- The whole point of conversation is to get people to like you, feel good about you, and relax and open up to you.

4. INTERRUPTING:
- If you interrupt somebody, it is a form of disrespect.
- When you interrupt somebody, you are basically trying to dominate that person.
- You are trying to devalue what they say.
- You are also trying to impose your agenda on that person.

5. CONVERSATION:
- If you want to be a really good conversationalist, you have to be adaptable and prepared to move in the direction of the person you're talking to.
- True conversation that improves relationships and makes people feel really good about each other and make them feel familiar around each other involves an interplay between silence and speaking, and both parties have an equal opportunity to take the spotlight.
- You can direct the conversation to topics that they are knowledgeable about, and let them share their expertise with you.
- Improv comedy is all about reading signals that others send you, working with those signals, and then reflecting them right back.
- Improv comedy is collaborative in nature. It becomes some sort of intimate conversation that an improv comic has with an audience.

6. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS make people work.
- Worst of all, when you ask open-ended questions, you put the burden of keeping the conversation going on your partner.
- The more specific your questions the better. When you use statements that include information, your conversation partner has an easier job.
- If you want to be a very effective conversationalist, you need to also pay attention to the micro signals and hints being sent.

7. DETAILS:
- Effective storytelling is all about being as specific as you can and being as detailed as you can.
- Great storytelling and improv are all about setting the right framework with intimate details and telling the story that gets the right emotional payoffs from the crowd.
- Details provide clues to what is important. Details get the reader emotionally invested.
- It's much easier to talk to somebody in discovery mode compared to damage control mode.

8. STRUCTURE:
- You should only be working with only a rough framework, and play the details by ear.
- Improv is about building structures that people can work with, and giving them an emotional journey that they can relate to is something that they can’t help but respond to.

9. SUPPORTING ACTOR:
- You’re not just telling them things to make them happy.
- You are just finding the golden nuggets within everyone and bringing them to the light so that they can sparkle.

10. MISC:
- Emphasize specific emotional high points. These are often what ends up making a story great.
- Each time a specific element is re-visited, the point just grows stronger, and the laughs get bigger.
- Success in improv comedy turns more on how well you can read the moment.
- What you're shooting for is to establish an atmosphere of likeability and collaboration.
- Even awkward moments are made endearing and charming.

[طارق سيد · Rating 1 out of 5]

عنوان الكتاب خادع.
بيدعي انه لتحسين المحادثات.
ولكن للأسف الكتاب قائم على..... الاستاند اب كوميدي!
ايوه بالضبط كده بيعلمك ازاي تتقن الفن ده، لو مهتم الكتاب كويس.
لكن انا مش مهتم والحقيقة تم تضليلي
#كوكب_الكتب 🌍
#العراف 😎

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very simple yet, to me, it proved to be very effective. One of the immediate effects that I noticed as I started reading it, not even half way through, is that I feel more liberated in a conversation. I was able to let go (or sometimes not let go completely but become more aware of) the small habits and my own preconceptions about what a conversation is that were weighing me down.
It's a great feeling and a great confidence boost.
One of my favourite quotes:

"Many of us think of a conversation as a flow of information, or words. But nothing could be further from the truth. What is really moving between people is energy, ideas, emotion, intention. Become a master at identifying and working with this second, invisible “conversation” and I promise, the word side of things will flow more easily all by itself!"

But don't think that it's a book about energy flow etc. There are plenty simple tips and practical exercises. I loved the fact that the book is short and to the point.

[Mohamed Eldesoky · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب مفيد جدا بيربط بين فن الارتجال و المحادثة و ازاي تخلي المحادثة بينك وبين اي شخص أداء للترفية مش نقاش ولا جدال زي مثلا :
#قل نعم و.... : يعني متعرضش حد بيتكلم معاك لا انت وفقك على اللي بيقوله و زود علية افكار من عندك.
# لا تقل لا : أصعب حاجة توقف المحادثة بينك وبين اي شخص انك تقول لاء
#استمع جيدا : لا يمكنك التعلم و انت تتحدث
#التفاصيل : علشان تقوى الارتباط بينك وبين اي شخص لازم تسمعه كويس و كمان تهتم بتفاصيل المحادثة
دي شوية حاجات علقت في زهني من الكتاب.
كتاب ممتع بصراحة

[Michelle Voran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book to read. Sometimes conversation is hard. 😬 I was looking for something to help conversations get easier when they are difficult. So for the people who might be like me and want some help in that department, check this book out! This book had some great suggestions and some great exercises to do to get better at conversation - all based on techniques of improv comedy. So fun! Highly recommend!

[Lobna Elhaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

#قرأت_لك_هذا_الكتاب
#تحدث_أمام_الجميع_بجاذبية
#باتريك_كينج

ما أول ما تبادر لذهنك عندما رأيت غلاف الكتاب؟
كتاباً يتحدث عن كيفية جعل نفسك متحدثاً لبقاً أمام جمع من الناس ؟ تصورت أنه كتاباً مثل كتاب Talk like Ted؟
إن كان ذلك ظني فيؤسفني أن أخيب ظنك !
أنا ظننت مثلك عندما بادرت بشراء الكتاب وخابت توقعاتي !
بدأ الكاتب حديثه بأن هذا الكتاب سوف يساعدك أن تكون متحدثاً جيداً في ال Stand up comedy
هذا ما يزعمه ، حتى أنه يبدأ كل فصل بعبارة "قاعدة الكوميديا الارتجالية هنا: …"
ومع ذلك لم أرى للكوميديا أو أساليبها أي مجال في هذا المجال ، حتى ال Standup Comedy والتي يقف فيها المتحدث على خشبة المسرح ويُلقي بعض الاسكتشات الكوميدية في حضرة جمع من الناس، زعم الكاتب أنها عملية حوار متبادلة بين مُلقيها و الحضور !!
للأسف كتاب ممل ، غير مفيد ، خادع لإن اسمه وغلافه وما كُتب على ظهره لا يعطي المعنى الحقيقي لمحتواه
للأسف ندمت على شراءه 🤷‍♀️
ملحوظة: الترجمة ممتازة لشهرت العالم

#لبنى_الحو

[Mayya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could barely get through it. After i realized I could just skim through each chapter to get the jest of it, I did.

The book has great concepts in it, and it's even better that the author leaves you with exercises to complete. However, the exercise are very elementary and not realistic.

Additionally, it's very clear that the book was not edited. I found multiple grammar mistakes along with the random bold-ing of words in just about every paragraph-- made it very distracting and hard to read.

Bummer, I really had hopes to take some qualities material away as I've typically had good luck with self-published authors in the past.

[Jevgenij · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some interesting piece of advice here and there + the books was short and easy to read, but there are many flaws with it as well:
- bold words all over the text, distracting and not helpful
- according to the author, to have a good conversation, you can't ever disagree and, make being liked your main goal. That might work for staged improv routines, but that's not how real people talk.
- some advice was too abstract and situational.

[Matthew Dieudonné · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fueled my understanding of how to battle my inner introvert. I’m not the best communicator, but the tools offered in this book absolutely improved both my personal and relationship communication skills. It also helped me notice how others left a conversation without many other options due to their lackluster input to the “improv” (genuine) conversation. Highly recommend as for light reading if you want to drive more fluid conversations in every facet of your life.

[Cippo Lippo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, practical and useful

I read the book to improve my com style at work. I see many good advice and tips that I can use either in private life or on the work. I like also the simplicity and the directness of the content.
Concise format is for me effective. Well do to the Author. If you are in your journey to improve your conversation or communication this is a good book to start or finish with.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Items of Note:
* Don't be interesting. Be interested.
* Listen to what is being said, not to what you want to say in response.
* The fear of awkward silence is often what creates it. Embrace the pause; it gives you a moment to think and the other person a chance to contribute.

[Alexandria Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting but I don't think conversations need to be this hard. However, if you struggle with conversation then this is a good book. I liked the yes and chapter. Agreeing and adding to the conversation is a very easy way to get people interested in you.

[Mark Mangaliman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on how to use techniques from Improv to everyday conversations. My favorite part of the book was seeing Patrick's basic structure of a convo using the HPM method. That's all you'll get. Not going to spoil it anymore. Pick up the book and read it yourself.

[Lanie J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

very insightful and helpful for someone who has adhd and sometimes speaks over others

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

As one reviewer noted, the author began by saying that he took one improv course and saw some parallels between being improv and conversation and never found the time to take another improv course. The suggestions that he takes from improv are weak. The examples are forced and they do not make one sound witty. Instead, he his suggestions would make one like sound ridiculous. I can't believe this actually warranted publication. It was easily the worst book I read in the past 10 years.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few good tips on how to make conversations flow, but the whole thing felt so amateurishly made, the font and text looks like it’s written in Word and just printed at home, many statements without any references whatsoever, that I lost interest and didn’t want to spend any more precious reading time in finishing it.

[Sai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhh.. this book is okayyyy
- Don't have agenda
- "Yes and" rule of improv where you never disagree but always add to what the previous person was saying
- Entertaining stories while speaking that are more emotional than intellectual

[Tate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bit of a snore

Could not really get into this book. It seemed very repetitious and the advice was nothing new that has not already been said elsewhere before.

[C.J. Elwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful. Not earth shattering but does have practical tools for the topic. Makes you think.

[Roozbeh Daneshvar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book. The author used the principles of improv and applied them to conversations:

Improv comedy above all else teaches flow, and the ability to make something out of nothing - both of those things in pursuit of a common shared goal of a lasting interaction and deep connection with the people involved. Sound familiar to how a great conversation should be?

Although the idea was interesting (and useful), I believe the author sometimes went overboard to glue the two concepts to each other. One example is that he warned against asking questions (as is the case in improv) while I believe questions could bring meaning to a conversation (and I believe that the author over-matched conversations with improv).

For many of the concepts I should keep reminding myself over and over, as I have noticed that how many mistakes I make in conversations (e.g. not to be fully present, not to have an agenda, to avoid NOs, etc.)

I was disappointed by the numerous typos and grammar mistakes in the book. It was as if the text had not passed even one round of editing.

Below I am bringing a few quotes from the book.

If you come into a conversation with a certain expectation about how it will go, or you want to push it into a certain direction, you're going to disrupt any type of flow you establish.

When you understand the emotional state of your audience and other players, you are basically given a template for where to go, and when to go there.

Perhaps improv is better phrased as using a situation-based approach to social interaction and conversation. When you know the emotional and contextual situation that is being conveyed, you have your guidepost, compass, and map.

Adopting the mindset of “Yes, AND...” means that you are collaborating with the person that you're talking with. It means that you are accepting the things and subjects that they bring to the table and working with them by adding to it - this preserves a flow, keeps them interested in the conversation at hand, and makes interactions as smooth as butter.

when you ask open-ended questions, you put the burden of keeping the conversation going on your partner.

It's not really a question of who can tell a better joke. Success in improv comedy turns more on how well you can read the moment.

When you prepare and focus on what you need to say next, you are the opposite of present. You are stuck in your own head, and not listening or observing at all - you're just waiting for your turn to speak.

Details are how people connect emotionally to situations and stories, and what make them reminisce and feel the pangs of nostalgia. It's always the fine details that bring a story to life, like someone's scent, or the way a book feels in your hand.

Unfortunately, bad conversationalists and bad improv comedians skimp on the details. Instead, they rely on the story alone to deliver the impact. Great storytelling and improv are all about setting the right framework with intimate details and telling the story that gets the right emotional payoffs from the crowd.

Real stories draw you in because your own internal narrative is put into the play. You can identify with the character that's going from point A to point B. Whatever drama they go through resonates with your own personal drama and issues. Effective conversationalists know this.

people talk to other people for three main reasons. Either they are looking for entertainment, pleasure, or general information and utility.

The secret to starting and maintaining great conversations is to learn to have broad outlines, then adapt to the person you are talking to. This is thinking on your feet and improvising.

You have to remember that when you talk to other people, the focus of the conversation should be about the conversation. It should not be about what you want and it is not about your agenda or what you are trying to get out of the other person. The moment other people are able to perceive this, guess what will happen? They will shut you out. You instantly become somebody worthy of suspicion and skepticism.

If you want to develop better relationships and become a more effective conversationalist and leader, you need to get people to feel that you've listened to them.

Improv comedy is about playing off others, and you can't do that if you are constantly waiting for your turn to talk and not listening to others. Sometimes you just need to shut up and listen patiently.

[Satpreet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is filled with actionable advice on how to have more engaging conversations. One of the ideas I absolutely love from this book is not to ask open-ended questions. Imagine you met your colleague on Monday and asked "How was your weekend?". This is a computationally heavy question. You've put too much load on the other person. You have to ask specific questions. You can rather ask questions like "Did you watch the match last Saturday?" or "Did you go out to a restaurant or a park last weekend?" I know the questions aren't great but it's a start. The other person has it easier for them to answer your question and keep the conversation going.

The second idea from this book that is a home run for me is that a conversation is not a discussion, it's entertainment. I knew this beforehand to some extent but reiteration of the same nailed it for me. Any intellectual pursuit does not happen in a conversation. You'll probably need a whiteboard, sheet, papers, and structure to pursue a question scholarly. Even when we ask heavy-duty questions such as "What are your views on religion?" or "Do you think atheists cause more harm than good?", these are still being discussed for entertainment. This is a revelation to me because I tend to think I'm an intellectual and want to have serious conversations but all conversations are for entertainment. So, going forward, I can just relax and have fun in conversations.

I recommend this book as it's full of actionable insights. Another reason to pick this book up is that it's a short read (150 pages only).

[Sara Fahmi Al-Qaragholi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily the best book on the art of conversation I have ever read. And I've read quite a few! Patrick King does a fantastic job of identifying what makes a conversation work, and what makes a conversationalist fail. Never before has someone laid out so clearly and easily to understand the elements you need to deploy in verbal interactions with others. And they are so easy to apply. Already, my conversations have improved immensely. I'm really seeing here what I did in the past that turned people off so much. I knew I was doing something wrong, but the other books I read didn't identify it. Hence I kept searching for a book that would disclose this secret to me. And I found it in spades in here. Honestly, I was so vexed by my inability to engage people productively in conversations, and I'd see other's conversing so fluidly and happily with each other. I'm a smart person; why couldn't I succeed at something seeming so obviously simple? Now I know what I was doing so wrong, what turned people off, and I've stopped doing it. So simple! And now I do the right things he recommends, and they light people up!!

[Trixy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy listen and short book. It has some good tips on how to keep conversational flow and how to be an active listener, however this book consistently contradicts itself. Be funny but don't be funny. Don't talk about yourself but find ways to keep the flow by talking about yourself. This book also doesn't take into account those with anxiety or ADHD and how to modify accordingly; it says don't prepare what you're going to say next, don't think about how you're going to respond, don't just "wait your turn to speak" while someone else is speaking or else it'll not only make you an ineffective listener but it'll just become two separate monologues which I totally get, however us who suffer from anxiety and ADHD tend to over-prepare in conversations and can't always just "think on the fly" like that. It also doesn't take into account the fact that not everyone is gonna read this book and practice the same methodologies so it's essentially on you to be the good conversationalist and listener. You're essentially taught to be a people pleaser. Yes this takes practices from improv but the examples in this book were not relatable in a real setting.

[Joey Reilley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember how I came across this book nor why it was on my bookshelf but the title pulled me in. The book was super disappointing. The whole time it felt like the author was trying to reach the word limit on an essay. He just keeps repeating the same idea. And his tips were so obvious! "Don't only talk about yourself". Gee thanks. When I dug deeper about the author, it would seem he's a borderline con-artist.

He has 29 books in this particular "series" that are essentially the exact same thing. Seriously, check out the titles on amazon. They're all titled some variation of "how to witty banter, great conversation, improve people skills...". 29 freaking books. I'll bet he just copies and pastes the content and changes the title.

His website is even sketchier. He sells courses and newsletters with promises to become "instantly" and "scientifically" more likeable. The website repeats the same bs in the book. Its all just so gross. Too many red flags, this guys just selling snake oil. Stay away.

[Heba books · Rating 5 out of 5]

.
قرأته مترجماً بعنوان " تحدث أمام الجميع بجاذبية "
.
موضوع الكتاب عن كيفية تنمية محادثاتنا مع الأشخاص بصورة طبيعية وعفوية وكيفية فتح مواضيع والرد على الطرف الآخر بطريقة لا تقتل الحوار، يرى الكاتب أن الحوار عامة يشبه الكوميديا الارتجالية من حيث عدم التخطيط للحوار مسبقا وإنما يكون وليداً للحظة، وبصراحة وجدت هذا التشبيه ممتازاً جداً، وبالطبع هذا الكتاب ليس عن تعلم الكوميديا الارتجالية لأني وجدت أن هذا سبب أزمة للبعض، إنما كل ما في الأمر أنك عندما تكون بين مجموعة ما والأهم أنك تريد أن تدخل في هذا الحوار والمشاركة به فالكاتب هنا يدلك على بعض القواعد التي ستساعدك على الاندماج معهم، وبالفعل هي قواعد فعالة وقيمة جداً.
فمثلا ينصحك أن تستمع لمحاورك جيدا ولا تنتظر دورك في الحديث لتخبر قصتك فأنت بهذا تتجاهله وربما هو لا يريد أن يسمع قصتك ولكنك يمكنك أيضاً أن تخبر قصتك بعد أن تمهد لها وبهذا لن تقتل الحوار وسيستمر قائماً.
والعديد من النصائح حتى تكون محاورا جيداً، والأجمل أن الأسلوب بسيط وملخص جيدا.
عن نفسي أفادتني القواعد وسأعمل على نقلها واستخدامها في حواراتي القادمة.
وأنصحكم به.

[MiffyxReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great preliminary focus on how to improve conversations. There are a bunch of great tips one of favorite being to watch Gilmore girls and try to come up with a way to keep the conversation going with Lorelei Gilmore. However the tip based format of the book makes it quite dull for me to get through. However I cannot complain too much as I learned a great deal from them.

There is an emphasis on the other person in the conversation and emotional intelligence which I think is a helpful reminder. Even when we are looking for support from other people they are unable to take the focus off what they are going through and that's okay.

I liked the tips about saying other peoples names more, asking specific instead of broad questions, HPM and the way to seem more approachable by not saying no all the time (which I am guilty of). Not the most interesting book but it's very cool still.

[Vazgen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My background and my work for the past years have shaped my conversations to be like research activities, focused primarily on information exchange. This definitely has its benefits but also results in less meaningful conversations with people around me and more shallow connections.
This book was the first time I read on the concept of focusing not on myself, not on the person next to me, but on the flaw of conversation itself and the goal - having fun! There are examples in the book that show how close-ended questions can actually help to achieve a better conversation flow, how you can agree with the fact of information being shared rather than the point of view, how to dig yourself out of a really uncomfortable dead end in the conversation and above all, have a fun and memorable experience. I’m definitely going to apply the learnings from this book in the future.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been learning a lot from Patrick King's books, even though I disagree with some things he says, such as "There's no such thing as Too Much Information in a conversation," or " If you're going to watch a biographical movie, you wouldn't want to watch the mundane parts" (I like those parts). It's frustrating that he suggests making a statement in place of a question, such as saying "You seem like you're really into cars" instead of asking what someone's hobbies are. It seems like a weird game to me. I feel like people should just ask a question if they have a question, not step around it with non-question statements and hope the other person can guess that they're actually trying to ask a question. Just say what you mean.

[Megan Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, especially as improv always seems so creative and the think on your feet aspect is what drew me to the title. It actually reads more like a guide for teenage boys in the art of conversation beyond one word responses (saying this in jest as a mother of teenage boys). He lost me a bit on the metaphor section, and a lot of the books suggestions you may find yourself doing naturally when speaking with people already. I enjoyed the thought process behind what goes on when you’re establishing a rapport with someone. I never thought of it in much detail before but it makes sense when looking back at conversations with friends and strangers in the past. Readable. Not sure I’d recommend it to my friends. My sons, on the other hand, I might hand it off to….

[Sriram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been DMing some D&D lately and improv is a very useful skill to have. While this book may appear to be about improv, it is about improv.

It is about what we can learn from techniques used by performers of improv comedy to improve our conversation skill.

Now I am not expert in having good conversations, but this book has many good points. Still it has plenty that may not apply to your situation. It doesn't take into consideration culture. Although improv is usually a group activity, it doesn't address any specifics about group conversations.

Also note, this is about having good conversation not communication. These things are mostly parallel, but sometimes they are at odds.

If you are unaware of what goes on in a conversation, this would be really helpful.