How to strike up a conversation with doctors/lawyers/engineers?

[Milhouse]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

Seems to happen to me all the time. Most of the people I know went into engineering or medicine making me a bit of an oddball since I went into business. Usually when they see me, the first thing they ask is "I'm paying too much in taxes.. tell me how to fix it"

Make a joke about counting beans. People like jokes.

 

[CTGuy]

Originally Posted by JD_May

Asking what firm you're with for lawyers is basically immediately steering the conversation towards professional stratification. X firm is better than Y firm, or X firm landed a deal, or Z firm lost one of their big commercial litigation guys, etc etc etc... I would steer clear of that altogether and just talk about the news or sports. You're not allowed to talk about files in-depth anyway. You could talk about the area in which they practice, but if they're on the corporate side don't expect that to be terribly interesting to an outsider. Hell, even if they're not, do you really care about recent developments in search & seizure? Few do... I couldn't interest the honeys with that ish, and I know's it.
Ditto. I strongly dislike that. Maybe because I am not your average lawyer or one at the "low end" of the stratification, but that would immediately turn me off. Ask me about my suit or the baseball game or whatever. We can get to law in a more organic way. Even if it isn't your intention I always feel like questions about what I practice or where I work right off the bat is sort of aggressive.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

Seems to happen to me all the time. Most of the people I know went into engineering or medicine making me a bit of an oddball since I went into business. Usually when they see me, the first thing they ask is "I'm paying too much in taxes.. tell me how to fix it"

Interesting. Been living with an engineer for a long time, and never once got stuck in a room full of engineers. They have their engineer meetings in secret. Thank god.

 

[Helix]

Originally Posted by DBoon

Her reply:

"In your case, a logical starting point for the iterative process in the derivation of said vector is that its phase is oriented more towards the imaginary plane"

HEY-O!

Omg that is at least 8 different kinds of amazing.

 

[Eccentric]

Originally Posted by DBoon

Her reply:

"In your case, a logical starting point for the iterative process in the derivation of said vector is that its phase is oriented more towards the imaginary plane"

HEY-O!

Nice! I don't know what seems worse: the idea of receiving this response, or that I get it.

 

[fredfred]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

Everyone would rather talk to the astute insider than a clueless outsider.

Not necc. true.

A good open question is "What is your favorite part about (their job)?" That gets them talking about the happier aspects of their work. Everyone likes talking about the good aspects of their work. I think that is more true than the above. And people like talking to people who have a genuine interest in what they are talking about.

 

[ilkandi]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

Any such tips on chatting with doctors, lawyers, and engineers?

Check this page
http://www.members.tripod.com/colla/...owth/talk.html

Engineers
With an engineer, use tough macho words like 'plant', 'facility' or 'site'. Avoid sissy words like 'company' or 'location'.
"What project are you working on now?" 'Project' is the key word here. This is the most effective question a layman can ask to get an engineer talking.
"How would [name of his specialty] impact on my daily life?"

Doctors
More philosophical physicians like to talk about matters such as wills, euthanasia, extending the life of terminally ill patients, and who their malpractice carrier is. More fun-loving docs would rather discuss cars, books, boats, trips, investments or leisure activities.
Begin with: "Is this what you bargained for?" or "Does medicine look different today than it did 20 years ago?" The first question is for young doctors, the second for older ones.
"How is the current medical environment affecting you?" The walloping number of regulations and practice guidelines, and the high cost of practice give all doctors a lot of grief.
[ Or you can go with 3 questions; "what's your specialty", "are you affiliated with a hospital" and because of constantly changing health care regulations around drugs and medicaid, doctors have a ton of rules. #3 "how's your relationship with your hospital?" will open up the floodgates ]

Solicitors
Solicitors aren't so bad to talk to - so long as you know what not to say. Don't ask who their clients are. Dont talk about fees. And never, ever, ask for legal advice about anything.
"What kind of practice do you have then?" Is he or she in private practice, working for himself or herself? With a law firm as an associate or a partner? Working in government or in industry?
"Do you ever get to court?" Some never do trial work. Others spend thier professional lives in the court room doing litigation.

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also watch what words they use and echo your language accordingly. Musicians say gig, orchestras say performance, models say booking, workers say job, doctors/engineers/lawyers say profession. Actors talk about "rehearsals" and will be offended if you say "practice". If someone says "villa" or "chalet" don't substitute "beach house" or "cabin". Active listening.

 

[Milhouse]

Serious advice here. . .

Don't bother with trying to sound like you know something about these fields. It can trap you unless you can think very quickly.

After I took a contracts class in bschool, I made the mistake of using some of the jargon one night to hit on one of the lawyers in another class I was taking. I think I said something about promissory estoppel or some other crap I really didn't understand, but remembered from that class.

She let loose with a stream of lawyer rambling that I couldn't understand. It was like listening to a foreign language.

I had no clue what she said, so my response was "why does this stuff make me want to have a drink so badly??? come on, first round is on me". It worked, but I had to carefully direct the conversation back towards normal stuff.

 

[Helix]

Originally Posted by ilkandi

ng. "How would [name of his specialty] impact on my daily life?"
Actually I hate this question because it is usually followed by something like "OMG what u sed make hed hurt. It be useless for because i not understand" or something similar.

 

[Teacher]

I think there's something nobody's touched on. Oftentimes, when trying to sound like you know what you're talking about regarding someone's line of work, it can sound like you're actually hitting them up for free services. That's a huge turn-off to pretty much everybody.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Teacher

I think there's something nobody's touched on. Oftentimes, when trying to sound like you know what you're talking about regarding someone's line of work, it can sound like you're actually hitting them up for free services. That's a huge turn-off to pretty much everybody.

You like it, giving the free algebra lessons?

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

You like it, giving the free algebra lessons?

English. And yes, believe it or not, people ask. And no, I don't like it.

 

[Huntsman]

That 'project' comment above is a good one, "Project Engineer" is the quintessential title for an engineer.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Interesting. Been living with an engineer for a long time, and never once got stuck in a room full of engineers. They have their engineer meetings in secret. Thank god.
Conferences and such are really kinda, I don't know. I usually try to skip the fraternal dinners and such and find a good bar. Found a really good one that way once. I was having dinner with a few engineers and materials scientists in Boston, and one gentleman asked what a scallop tasted like, I started describing it as a "transversely isotropic..."

Originally Posted by Helix

Actually I hate this question because it is usually followed by something like "OMG what u sed make hed hurt. It be useless for because i not understand" or something similar.
+1 I tell people what I really do when I want to end a conversation, and end it fast. ~ H

 

[Milhouse]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

+1 I tell people what I really do when I want to end a conversation, and end it fast.

~ H

Also works to end an interview. A good friend of mine is an electrical engineer. He was trying to get a job out of engineering. . . more toward corporate finance, but still within an engineering company.

He gets the usual "tell me about the work you used to do" question, and explains at a very high level as if the interviewer was a layman.

The interviewer decides that it sounds interesting, so he asks for more detail. My friend decides the interviewer must be an engineer too, so he gives the engineer's version of the explanation.

The interviewer stopped the interview after that.

 

[Fuuma]

I think you should employ the tactics recommended by the serious playas in the various "how do I talk to a girl?" threads.[/QUOTE


So I just casually go to the doctor and go all like "Man this cocktail is off the chart, hey are those real crocs on your feeT!!??"