How to Start an Interesting Conversation
Tell an interesting story.Your stories could be humorous or serious., Express an emotional opinion., Mention something enjoyable.If you’re at a wedding, for instance, you might mention to the other wedding guests, “This cake is terrific,” or “The...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Tell an interesting story.Your stories could be humorous or serious.
In either case, ensure your story has a logical beginning, middle, and end.
Your goal is to make people interested, not to assault them with facts.
Sliding in a joke or making a sarcastic comment makes you seem more approachable, and the people will be more comfortable speaking to you.
You could tell a story about a weird day at work.
You might begin by saying, “I had a weird day at work.
This balloon-selling clown came into the office and was trying to sell balloons to everyone.
Soon we all had balloons.
I even bought one myself!” Whatever your topic is, ensure it can be understood by your audience.If it has to do with a particular episode in your line of work, explain industry terms and situations that might not be apparent to your conversation partner.
Instead of saying, “We had to switch from the scanning electron microscope to the X-ray interferometer,” explain that “The initial type of scan we used didn’t work, so we tried another.” Keep your story short.
Try to keep it from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Anything longer might make the person uninterested. -
Step 2: Express an emotional opinion.
Ask yourself how you feel about a range of different topics.
These could be very mundane topics like starting a new job, or very significant topics like the state of race relations in modern society.
Whatever the topic, create a simple sentence linking the topic to your feelings on it.For instance, you might express to a conversation partner, “I feel so angry about what the Presidential front-runner said yesterday.” After expressing yourself, ask how the other person feels about the topic.
For instance, using the prior example, you might give a few reasons as to why you were so upset by what the candidate said, then ask, “What about you? How do you feel about the Presidential front-runner?”By inviting the other person to share their thoughts with you in the form of an emotional opinion, you are likely to have a spirited and interesting exchange. , You can use this good feeling as a springboard into more interesting aspects of the event or venue in which you’re conversing.
For instance, you might say, “This is such a great city.” Your conversation partner could agree, then ask, “Have you lived here long?” Use the invitation to talk more about your life in the city and experiences within it.
Avoid saying anything negative about other guests, the host, or the social situation you’re in.
Doing so runs the risk of alienating the person you’re talking to.
For instance, if you say something like “This party is really lame,” and it turns out that the person you’re talking to was the party planner, you will hurt your chances of starting an interesting conversation with them. , If you know a bit about your conversation partner, use this information to dig deeper into their life and interests.
For instance, if they skateboard, ask them if they’ve learned any new tricks lately.
If you know nothing about the other person, ask them broad, general questions such as “What do you do for work?” or “How long have you lived here?”, “Where did you get that dress?” or “That’s a fine suit.
Who is your tailor?” are good questions that can lead to an interesting conversation.
You can also compliment your conversation partner’s depth of knowledge.
For instance, you might tell someone who is explaining evolution to you, “Wow, you know a lot about evolution!” Giving praise makes people more interested in continuing the conversation. , The best conversation starters are often stories that reveal your vulnerabilities and shortcomings.
For instance, you might tell a story about how you were so nervous about giving a presentation that you forgot to bring the flash drive containing the presentation with you when it was finally time to deliver. -
Step 3: Mention something enjoyable.If you’re at a wedding
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Step 4: for instance
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Step 5: you might mention to the other wedding guests
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Step 6: “This cake is terrific
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Step 7: ” or “The ceremony was so lovely.” Saying something positive will inspire others to reply with their own opinion on the subject.
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Step 8: Steer the conversation toward the other person.
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Step 9: Compliment your conversation partner.Talking about the weather is cliche and not very interesting
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Step 10: but there are many equally mundane things you could talk about that make for interesting conversation.For instance
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Step 11: you could ask your conversation partner about his or her wardrobe.
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Step 12: Don’t try to brag or show how great you are.
Detailed Guide
In either case, ensure your story has a logical beginning, middle, and end.
Your goal is to make people interested, not to assault them with facts.
Sliding in a joke or making a sarcastic comment makes you seem more approachable, and the people will be more comfortable speaking to you.
You could tell a story about a weird day at work.
You might begin by saying, “I had a weird day at work.
This balloon-selling clown came into the office and was trying to sell balloons to everyone.
Soon we all had balloons.
I even bought one myself!” Whatever your topic is, ensure it can be understood by your audience.If it has to do with a particular episode in your line of work, explain industry terms and situations that might not be apparent to your conversation partner.
Instead of saying, “We had to switch from the scanning electron microscope to the X-ray interferometer,” explain that “The initial type of scan we used didn’t work, so we tried another.” Keep your story short.
Try to keep it from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Anything longer might make the person uninterested.
Ask yourself how you feel about a range of different topics.
These could be very mundane topics like starting a new job, or very significant topics like the state of race relations in modern society.
Whatever the topic, create a simple sentence linking the topic to your feelings on it.For instance, you might express to a conversation partner, “I feel so angry about what the Presidential front-runner said yesterday.” After expressing yourself, ask how the other person feels about the topic.
For instance, using the prior example, you might give a few reasons as to why you were so upset by what the candidate said, then ask, “What about you? How do you feel about the Presidential front-runner?”By inviting the other person to share their thoughts with you in the form of an emotional opinion, you are likely to have a spirited and interesting exchange. , You can use this good feeling as a springboard into more interesting aspects of the event or venue in which you’re conversing.
For instance, you might say, “This is such a great city.” Your conversation partner could agree, then ask, “Have you lived here long?” Use the invitation to talk more about your life in the city and experiences within it.
Avoid saying anything negative about other guests, the host, or the social situation you’re in.
Doing so runs the risk of alienating the person you’re talking to.
For instance, if you say something like “This party is really lame,” and it turns out that the person you’re talking to was the party planner, you will hurt your chances of starting an interesting conversation with them. , If you know a bit about your conversation partner, use this information to dig deeper into their life and interests.
For instance, if they skateboard, ask them if they’ve learned any new tricks lately.
If you know nothing about the other person, ask them broad, general questions such as “What do you do for work?” or “How long have you lived here?”, “Where did you get that dress?” or “That’s a fine suit.
Who is your tailor?” are good questions that can lead to an interesting conversation.
You can also compliment your conversation partner’s depth of knowledge.
For instance, you might tell someone who is explaining evolution to you, “Wow, you know a lot about evolution!” Giving praise makes people more interested in continuing the conversation. , The best conversation starters are often stories that reveal your vulnerabilities and shortcomings.
For instance, you might tell a story about how you were so nervous about giving a presentation that you forgot to bring the flash drive containing the presentation with you when it was finally time to deliver.
About the Author
Theresa Fisher
Experienced content creator specializing in pet care guides and tutorials.
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