Hisham Sarwar
Starting a conversation with someone you don’t know can be difficult. Most people think you need to be too picky while starting a conversation but study has found out that exactly what you talk about isn’t that important. It makes you censor yourself too hard which makes you even more self-aware and fail to come up to say anything at all. So, thinking too hard to come up with a good opener sentence can mess up the whole conversation. Instead, what you should do is that start off with really simple talk subjects. It will not only make you relaxed but will also give a good start to your conversation.
Following are the few tips that are universal and you can always fire them off to get a conversation going. These will free you from the worry that you don’t know what to say when you meet new people.
Stick to open ended questions:
When you meet someone, you need to ask questions that give other people the opportunity to speak. Avoid asking someone from what place they belong, instead, ask where they are from and how it compares to place where they are now. Ask them about the places they have lived and what they like and didn’t like about the various areas.
Find a common ground:
You need to find a common ground to start your conversation with a new person. There can be many things you can find that are common, it can be the style or the clothes’ brand you are wearing. Just be prepared with the open-ended follow up questions once you find the common ground.
Talk about safe things:
For starring a conversation with a stranger, you need to select safe topics. You cannot talk about religion or politics to someone you don’t even know. So stick to safe topics such as kids, pets, food, or anything that can come to your mind easily. You cannot ask someone if they have kids, you can share your experiences of your kids, and the conversation will flow in a direction where it will become easier for you to know everything.
Direct approach:
Sometimes being direct may be helpful for starting a new conversation when you are not aware of anyone at a new event. It is no doubt the most nerve wrecking but it can be a jump start to the conversation you want to have. When you are new at a place, approach the group of people where you feel you can be accepted and simply introduce yourself. This will be an ideal way to start a conversation without being awkward.
