ABSTRACT
This lesson addresses the nuances of conversational skills. The first task for anyone first meeting someone with whom they would like to be friends is to search for common interests . This skill is crucial for beginning and maintaining friendships. Becoming friends is a continuous process; however, from a pragmatic point of view it is easier to understand this process as occurring in discrete stages. The first stage is turning a stranger into a friendly acquaintance. The next stage is the beginning of closer friendships. The third stage is turning these closer friendships into best friendships if mutually desired. Each stage calls for different conversational rules.
