We have, in some point of our lives, been in a situation where we have stood beside an individual wanting to start a conversation but we couldn’t. And studies have shown that small talk with strangers can actually be motivational for an individual.
Now it’s not easy for most of us to talk to strangers randomly and get into a conversation but then there are certain conversation starters which work in any given scenario.
Conversation Starters For Virtually Any Situation
Scroll through the article to learn more about how you can start a conversation and make it follow through. Whether it’s a public transport or a social gathering, it’s never a bad idea to indulge in a conversation with fellow strangers.
#1 Pick their minds
When I say pick their minds, I mean get to know what’s going on in their heads. Questions like how do you stay organised or where do you see your business going this year are very weird questions, but then again you need to start off from somewhere right.
With questions of these kind, you can actually get to know their thoughts and how they plan to deal with issues surrounding them. In this state you can either offer them advice or congratulate them depending upon how you feel they’re dealing with the situation. From here on, it’s smooth sailing because you have successfully initiated your conversation
#2 Learn about them
When I say learn about them, I mean get to know them. Talk to them about their position in their company, or maybe understand what their hobbies are. There’s so many questions you can ask a person when you have the intentions of learning about them.
And what makes it better is, if you’re on a date with your significant other, you can use these questions to learn about them more. But bear in mind, questions to ask a girl on a date are somewhat different that the questions to ask a guy, so choose wisely. The more you get to know them, the easier it is for you to carry the conversation ahead with them.
#3 Opinions
Seeking the opinion of another person is the easiest way to initiate a conversation with the other person. Once you get their opinion, you have a clear cut idea about how the person will react to a certain situation.
And seeking for opinions gives you a clear cut pathway to get into a full-fledged debate kind of a conversation where you could both have different opinions which could counter each other. In cases like these please bear in mind that you don’t want an argument so you might want to check the tone of your voice here. You do not want to offend the other party in the conversation.
Sometimes, in very sensitive cases, seeking for their recommendations does the job but then again, look for recommendations only if you know the person from before. Don’t seek recommendation from a person you just met.
#4 Compliments
Compliments are a wonderful way to start a conversation, in fact they are the best conversation starters that you can actually have, and they work wonderfully well with both males and females. If you know them from a previous meet, compliment them on their work, or maybe an achievement they recently acquired.
And when you compliment someone you make them happy. And once they’re happy, they’ll want to talk to you more about themselves, leaving you to do the least work. So in those situations you don’t really have to worry about avoiding those weird questions that you might have had to ask if they were not participating.
So learn to understand how compliments work and how to use them efficiently in a conversation because one small compliment can go a long way in life.
#5 Sense of Humor
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you won’t have a sense of humour predating the stone ages. For initiating a good conversation, try being funny for a change. And unless you’re in the company of very serious individuals who have lost the zeal to live in life, your sense of humour will bring conversations to your doorstep.
So learn to tickle that funny bone and make people laugh. If people laugh around you then you have a good chance of being the likeable one in the crowd, and research does say that people prefer the likeable one over the competent one. So the world is yours if you can make people laugh.
Also, your sense of humour is like your best defense and your best offence on a first date, so instead of being creepy, try asking some really funny questions to your girlfriend or your boyfriend. That way, the questions form conversation starters themselves.
And when I say funny questions I don’t mean, “What did one fire truck say to another?” No! Those are weird questions and are not funny. “The only person I know here is the bartender, and I just met him a minute ago – mind if I introduce myself?” This question is an example of a funny question, so pick your words wisely.
#6 If all else fails…
If everything mentioned above fails and you’re unable to start a conversation, the language gods have forsaken you and nothing else can save you. No I’m just kidding. Here’s the time when you ask those weird questions you’ve been avoiding all this time.
Now what’s the least weird of them all? It’s the weather. And a little weather talk can either make it or break it for you. But no matter what you do, be casual about it. Be confident of what you’re about to do.
And for the best of my knowledge, you could also talk about the sports game which happened the previous night or a couple of days back. It’s English Premier League season right now during the time this article is being written, so go ahead with the questions on soccer.
Very rarely will you find sports enthusiasts lacking in a crowd of people. So go ahead and talk about sports or the weather or maybe a rock but do that with confidence and with composure.
Would you rather have a superpower (just one) or have the ability to cast spells?
Thanks, this is just what I needed today.