Villa Maria Survey Reveals 'Family' Is UK's Favourite Conversation Topic

The nationwide survey, commissioned by Villa Maria with Opinion Matters, had bad news for Love Island fans, as the nation voted it their least favourite conversation topic! 40% of us hate discussing what goes on in the villa, closely followed by talking about religion, Donald Trump and celeb gossip. We do, however, love discussing family which came out top as the nation's favourite conversation topic (30%), followed by TV, movies and food.

From body language, listening skills and storytelling, Villa Maria has uncovered the facts about talking the talk:

Attention span

Politeness

Storytelling tips

Angela Lewis, Villa Maria brand ambassador, said: "Villa Maria's first chapter stems from a family conversation between the company's founder Sir George Fistonich and his father back in 1961. Conversation is at the heart of all of our relationships, just as it's at the heart of our business, and so we wanted to find out what really makes for a good discussion."

Many meaningful conversations take place over a glass of wine and to celebrate, Villa Maria is running a series of expert talks exploring the value of conversation. One expert is Colin MacLachlan, former SAS soldier and hostage negotiator, from Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5's Secrets of the SAS.

Giving his insight, he said: "I think body language is incredibly important and a large proportion of communication is non-verbal. A lot can be read through how someone's posture is, how they deliver something, eye contact, what their arms are doing and if the person feels they mean it. Silences are also important; by creating a silence you almost create a void for the other person to fill, showing empathy for what they have to say."

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