February 17, 2015

Questions to break the ice / list of conversation starters



I'll be the first to admit that meeting new people at events can be kind of awkward if you're not super social. As an introvert, I really have to make an effort to meet new people and engage in conversations with strangers at events, but it's always worth it because I leave knowing a new person! Talking to new people can be difficult at first, but I've found that being prepared to talk to strangers makes things 100x easier. If the conversation doesn't naturally start or carry on, I always have some questions in mind to spark conversation and hopefully make some connections with the person. The key to asking questions is to also listen to the answers - that's how you can make a great response and potentially make connections!

So here are some of the questions and conversation starters I use in three different settings: college settings, work settings, and random social events in Atlanta. I hope these are helpful for you!

In college
  • What's your major?
  • What year are you in school?
  • What made you decide to attend *insert college name here*?
  • Where are you from?
  • What high school did you go to? (If you're familiar with their hometown)
  • Do you live on or off campus?
  • What organizations are you involved in?
  • Do you work or have an internship?
  • What career do you plan to have?
  • What do you do for fun on the weekends?

At work
  • How long have you worked here?
  • How do you like working here?
  • What are some of your responsibilities?
  • Where are some good lunch spots?
  • How many people are in your department / on your team?
  • Where else have you worked?
  • Do you have any upcoming projects?

Random social events
  • How'd you hear about this event?
  • What do you do?
  • Where are you from?
  • How is the food?
  • What area/part of town do you live in?
  • Where did you get your *insert clothing item here* from?
  • *Mention something interesting you've noticed about the event*

Do you have a go-to conversation starting question or statement? 
Please share in a comment below!


6 comments:

  1. Vett, I think these are great ideas when starting a conversation... sometimes it can be scary but all we really need to do is open with simple words which can lead to so much more... xox

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  2. these are really great ideas! thanks for sharing them!

    styleandchocolates

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  3. These are all such great questions to ask to get a conversation rolling!

    Lauren,
    http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.com/

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  4. These are great and can totally be applied to a variety of social situations. Plus you never know the connections you can make from starting up a conversation with someone!
    -Alex
    www.monstermisa.blogspot.com

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  5. i totally need to pick p the questions of social event section, i ma really bad at events :)
    keep in touch
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com
    www.indianbeautydiary.com

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  6. I've never been one for networking, but these are helpful hints! I wish I had of learned this way earlier in my career, but networking really is key to navigating the career world.

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