Great Ideas For Starting A Conversation

Many of us face challenges when it comes to starting a conversation with someone, especially introverts. It becomes super difficult to start talking about anything when you are not much of a talker. And unfortunately, a lot of communication skills training programs miss out on this aspect.

When you attend a business meeting or meet someone for work, it is considered rude to jump directly to the point. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable through what we commonly call ‘small talk’ is extremely important. We are humans at the end of the day, not robots, right?

Also, the most important reason behind small talk is building rapport with the person. Rapport building is extremely essential in business and non-business encounters and is a great way to build and expand your network. And our communication skills play a very important role in building rapport with people around us.

There are some communication skills trainings that help you in learning how to start a conversation. In fact, you might be able to figure out what to say by simply typing ‘how to start a conversation’ in Google search and will get multiple options. But the real ‘how’ is different from the ‘what,’ which we often mistake as the ‘how’! As apart from just ‘what’ you say, which pertains to the words we use, there are other aspects too like ‘how’ you say it, which could be the tone, body language, etc., which are equally important. And that’s what a good communication skills training will actually teach you.

So, today we are going to talk more about the ‘how’. We are going to discuss certain do’s and dont’s of starting a conversation. This list will give you some good ideas on ‘how to start a conversation’.

·         Observe the person. Anything you observe that is unique, interesting or something related to the person can become your opening sentence. 

·         Look for something that could be of common interest between you and the other person.

·         Compliment the person. Compliments are a great way of starting conversations because everyone likes being complimented and can be a great conversation starter. It also creates a warm environment and makes the person more open towards you and what you have to say. Just don’t go over the top with anything. And be careful while complementing introverts, some may get a little uncomfortable with the attention they are receiving!

·         If you have a good sense of humour, then you can crack a good joke. But be careful. Your joke should not be offensive or controversial. It should be light and must consider the other person interest.

·         In fact, never start with anything negative or controversial. Topics like politics, religion, gender, etc. are a big no for conversation starters or even during the conversation. People are not open to such topics and may be opinionated. And you could land up in an argument rather than a conversation!

·         A personal request, please don’t start with the weather. It’s become such a cliché and everyone knows where your trying to head with it!

These are just a few points that can help you open a conversation. There are many more such pointers. And a proper communication skills training is the platform where you can get and practice them.