Diction

I am not comfortable talking a lot until I get to know someone pretty well. Once I know them I get very comfortable using language! I am also more comfortable decoding what someone is trying to say when I know them well. When I first meet someone, I don’t usually speak a lot, because I try to get a feel for what kind of person they are based on their actions and words. Once I feel like I know the person a little better, I contribute more to the conversation and ask them questions. I think one thing that I have started doing at Hotchkiss is being more comfortable talking to people, asking questions about them, and really getting to know them. Once I get to know someone, it usually doesn’t matter who they are, I can speak to them comfortably. I usually watch what I say more with people who think have a really high opinion of me, because I don’t want to disappoint them. If someone is in the same position as I am (i.e new to a school) I am more comfortable and can find more things to talk about with them. I am uncomfortable talking to people who are really shy or I think don’t want to talk to me. If someone doesn’t talk a lot I get very uncomfortable, and believe it or not, start talking enough for both of us! Both of my parents are lawyers, so I know how to use language to my advantage. When someone of authority is mad at me, I know to not talk very much, and to just let them get it out of their system. I know when to apologize and act like nothing happened. With people older than me, I know how to speak respectfully and to keep some things that I might want to say to myself.