Start Talking

Find common ground. To start a conversation, Cabane suggests starting with a comment about the environment you're in. For example, if you're on the expo floor, start by offering a comment about a booth you just visited. After the opening comment, ask them a related, open-ended question. "The easiest way to keep people talking is to ask questions, preferably upbeat and open-ended ones," Cabane says.

Really listen to what the other person is saying. You have to make the other person feel like you understand them, and one way to achieve that is through effective listening, Cabane says. She adds that you should make eye contact with the speaker 70 to 80 percent of the time.

Act like a mirror. In order to make the other person feel comfortable conversing with you, Cabane suggests synchronizing and mirroring their voice and body language. "Not only will synchronization make them like you and trust you, but it's actually one of the most powerful ways for you to understand exactly what emotions they're feeling," Cabane says.

Use "you" instead of "I." Cabane suggest focusing more on the person you're speaking with than yourself. She says the best way to approach this is by adopting a 'what can I do for you?' mindset. "It's all about the person you're talking to. You therefore want to spend as little time as possible speaking about yourself," Cabane says.

Stop worrying. When a conversation is over, Cabane says, people don't remember what was said during the exchange; instead, they remember how they felt while having the conversation. "As long as you keep the spotlight on your audience and make them feel like stars, the emotional imprint of your conversation will be simply splendid," Cabane says.