The Introvert’s Guide to Small Talk

Introvert's Guide to Small Talk

If small talk has got ya feeling all sorts of uncomfortable, I want to share some good news: you are far from alone. Typically, introverts find small talk more difficult. This is because being an introvert means you recharge your energy by being alone. It’s not that you don’t like being around other people, it’s just that social situations drain your internal battery. So for an introvert, small talk with strangers is a little like running your iPhone on full brightness with 1,000 apps open at once while on LTE. That battery is gonna die real quick and when it does, everything gets about 10x more exhausting.

So let’s learn how to cope:  How to Turn Awkward Conversations into Meaningful Interactions.

http://init4thelongrun.com/2016/10/06/introverts-guide-to-small-talk/

Conversation Starters — The Art of Conversation

It really isn’t rocket science.  It’s talking with another person.  Most conversations don’t start because both parties are afraid to begin. Here are a few questions to  ask yourself in order to learn your conversation style, the art of your conversation style.  After learning, you will feel confident enough in any situation to be the one that begins that conversastion.  Here we go !

What makes it easy to talk to someone? What traits do you look for in a conversation partner?
Tell about your favorite types of conversations to have? What do you talk about?
How do you know the other person?
Who is the best conversationalist that you have ever met? Why are they such a great conversationalist?
Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger? What made it so great?
What did you talk about?
Where were you?
What is your role in a conversation? Do you dominate?
Do you subordinate?
What percent of a conversation do you spend talking? Have you ever tried to consciously change your conversational style?
What did you change?
What are some good habits you have in conversation?
What are some bad traits you have in conversations?
Who communicates better: men or women? What makes their style better?
What makes it worse?
Do you like to flirt? How do you flirt?
What do you say?
On a scale of 1-10, how do you rate your conversational skill with the opposite sex? Explain.
How do conversations between men and women differ?
Do you like to argue? What do you like to argue about?
Do you always want to be right? What types of arguments do you hate to lose?
What topics should you avoid when talking to a stranger? To a Swiss person?
To a Japanese?
To an American?
What topics are taboos for your culture? What topics are taboo for you personally?
Why do people like to learn bad words in another language?
What do people do that drives you crazy in a conversation?
How do you feel about talking on the phone? Why?
Do you think that some conversations are easier to have on the phone?
Face to face?
What types of conversations, and why?
What are some topics that you can’t stand to talk about? Why?
Do you have better conversations when you are drinking? How do your conversations change after you have been drinking?
Have you ever said something to someone that you wish you hadn’t said?
What was it? Explain.
If you could relive any conversation of your life, what would it be? Why? Explain.
How do you feel about being frank? Explain.
How do you feel about blunt people? Is there such a thing as being too honest? Explain.
In your experience, which country’s people are the easiest to talk to? Explain.
Which country’s people are difficult to talk to? Explain.
If you could have the voice of any famous person, whose voice would you want? Why?
How do you feel about conversations with people older than yourself? Are there any older people who you have conversations with regularly?
Who are they?
Some people like to talk about things, and some people like to do things. What kind of person are you? Explain.
If you could have a conversation with any famous living person, who would you talk to ?What would you talk about?
Why would you want to talk about that? Explain.
If you could talk with a famous deceased person, who would you talk to ? What would you talk about, and why?
Do you like to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations? What kind of questions do you like to overhear? Where do you listen?
Have you ever spied on anyone? Have you ever recorded a phone call or conversation? Why?
Would you ever do it ? Explain.
If you had to choose, would you rather marry a partner who is handsome/beautiful and sexy, but who is a terrible conversationalist, or a partner who is a wonderful conversationalist, but who is less-attractive-than-average? Explain.
What was a difficult conversation you had to have in your life? How did it turn out?
What made it hard? Explain.
Would you like to be a salesman, a teacher, a reporter?
Would you like to have a career that requires you to talk to a lot of people? Why? Which career?
How can you improve your conversation skills? Explain.

http://iteslj.org/questions/

Conversation Starters– New Year’s Day

Are any of the things similar to New Year’s celebrations in your country?
What traditional ways of welcoming the New Year do you have in your family or in your region?
How old are your New Year traditions? Did your grandparents celebrate in the same way?
Are children allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve in your country?
Are there any special meals or activities for New Year’s day?
What are you and your family planning to do this year?
Did you speak English over the holidays? Who with?
Did you read anything in English, or see an English film? Which one?
Did you celebrate New Year’s Eve? What did you do?
Were these holidays ‘typical’ holidays? Did you do anything different? What?
Did you see your family this holiday? Who did you see?
Did you have a special meal during the holidays? What did you eat?
Can you think of two things you were happy about from last year?
What are you looking forward to this year? If you aren’t looking forward to this year, why aren’t you?
Have you ever made any of these popular New Year’s resolutions?
Would you like to do make any of them?
Quit smoking?
Eat more healthily?
Do more exercise?
Lose weight?
Learn a language?
Are you going to take a holiday this year?
Where are you going to go?
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution?
What was it?
Were you successful?
If you had another week of holidays, what would you do?
What two things would you like to see or do this year?
Can you think of funny or serious resolutions for the following people.
Donald Trump?
The Queen?
A famous pop star you like?
Was last year a good year for you? In what way or why not?

If you can think of another good question for this list, please add it.

http://iteslj.org/questions/

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