Tete-a-tete.

Tete-a-tete according to Webster's is the art of conversation, but it has so many nuances where it can be similar to symphony with each person playing a different instrument which sounds divine and leaves the listeners spellbound.

A conversation can be a heart to heart connect of two people in an intimate corner of a cafe, a casual meeting of acquaintances during a evening walk, a chance encounter with a buddy reminiscing about the carefree days at college, a boring had to attend social event or just a few like minded people bonding over food.

Tete-a-tete is an art. A good discussion will have humor, wit with a dash of intelligence. It is a give and take wherein a conversational genius will steer the chat to the topic one wants and start the process of slow digging for the information needed. The person shelling out information won't realize he is being grilled for it, will start imparting details on their own, in fact they start to trip on words in eagerness.

Have you ever stood in a corner to observe a large group of people talking amongst themselves. It could be the 'in vogue' reunions, a business conference or a women's meet at a club. Varied conversations take place, it could be a group of four or more talking but in the same group a couple have their own personal communication going on ankho hee ankho mein, with their eyes and expressions. Intellectuals snub it saying I do not indulge in small talk, it is a sheer waste of time better spent in constructive way. A marketing professional creates a humongous high on the corporate ladder career by being smooth talker, these smooth talker's can convince a shaikh to buy oil.

Bored individuals get cheap thrills out of exchanging lurid details of the lives of people in their vicinity. Women gossip, men exchange information, same thing different words. Some do it to keep themselves updated with the latest global news. It can be exchanging of thoughts to help the less privileged, which is not so common.

Awkward elevator chatter can be discomfiting. Meeting a prospective bride or groom can bring butterflies to the stomach.

Try talking to teenagers engaged in mobile text chats, you will get monosyllabic answers which will make you want to tear your hair out.

There are para verbals, where a person says one thing and you are sure they mean something else by taking in the subtle signs like the tone of the voice, the pauses, or how fast or slow they are talking. This is communication where you try to grasp the unsaid words.

Sometimes silence is the best conversation one can have.

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave the wrong thing unsaid at the tempting moment. Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people and conversation is the thread that weaves people together to form a life full of rainbows.