Going to a wedding reception soon? Meeting friends you haven’t seen in years? Are you feeling a bit tongue-tied? Fear not. Study these convo starters and you will lose those convo butterflies quickly. It’s not rocket science after all. It’s just people expressing themselves verbally. OK? Prepare some questions, have your answers ready, check out a source of news and just be your friendly self. (And try to stay sober). j/k
NO, NO, NO!!! Not good at all. Just stay calm and keep reading!
The Weather
The weather is a great conversation opener since it affects everyone. You can talk about the heat, cold, wind, rain, cloud, snow…
- The weather was gorgeous this weekend, what did you do?
- Do you remember the last time we got this much snow?
- It’s been so hot lately, how do you stay cool?
The Weekend
For the later part of the week, you can ask people about their weekend plans.
- Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?
- Are you going anywhere this weekend?
For the first part of the week, you can ask people about how their weekend went.
- Did you have a good weekend?
- Did you see any movies this weekend?
News and Current Events
There is an almost limitless number of news and current events that one can bring up
- Conversing about news and current events allows you to get into deeper conversation since you can get information on their personal views.
Your Surroundings
There are countless things that you can talk about related to your surroundings. You can talk about the music playing in the background, the dinner menu, history of the area, the drink they ordered, the decor, a painting on the wall, the score of a sporting event on TV…
- Do you come here often?
- What is your favorite thing about this city/town?
- What do you like least about this city/town?
Movies, Books, TV, and Music
People love entertainment. It’ll be pretty difficult to find someone who doesn’t watch movies/TV, read books, or listen to music.
- What was the last book that you read?
- What is your favorite movie that you saw this year?
- What is your favorite type of music?
- What TV shows are you currently watching, streaming?
Find common ground in entertainment the other person has also consumed and discuss what you liked or disliked and go from there.
Sports
Most people enjoy either playing sports or watching sports, so it’s generally a safe topic to bring up.
- Do you play any sports?
- What sports do your kids play?
- What’s your favorite sports team?
- What do you do to stay in shape?
Travel
You can learn quite a bit about someone based on where they have traveled to and talking about traveling can be a fun topic.
- Where did you go on your last vacation?
- Do you have any upcoming travel plans?
- What is your dream vacation?
Source: Great Conversation Starters
Quick note: Family and employment questions open up a plethora of opportunity for great convo.
