With the growth of cellphones, tablets, and computers, people are straying away from the dinner table and begin to enjoy their meals with a cellphone. What happened to exchanging light banter with a friend and developing true human connections? Here are 5 tips to carry an engaging conversation:

1. Silence and/or turn off the phone!
2. Be inquisitive, but don’t be interrogative
3. Be interested, not interesting
4. Listen to the words without judging
5. Look at the body language of the opposing party: Here is a fabulous article deconstructing body language