Good Conversation Topics: Were you ever a part of an awkward silence and did not know how to continue the conversation? I know the feeling and I agree with you guys…it is very uncomfortable. Especially when you’re talking to someone you want to make a good impression on. For some, it is an unpleasant situation that can create panic, especially with new people. Your mind suddenly goes blank. You remain in a silence that seems to last an eternity. Tried to think of some good conversation topics in that situation but did not find anything?
To help you out so that it does not happen again, in this article, I have compiled some of the best strategies to find some good conversation topics of the most brilliant talkers. You will learn to handle the threads of conversation and find some key practices to find some good conversation topics.
I hope you find it useful!
After investigating many patterns of behavior, it has been found that the main key to keeping alive a conversation is not to run out of anything to say, but to stay with nothing meaningful.
Sure you’ve experienced situations where you have not dared to tell you what you were really thinking. You were worried about what he/she would say if you said something too absurd or out of context. For those situations,
7 Strategies for Good Conversation Topics
Here I have for you some strategies to find good conversation topics!
1). Remove Your Filters. Talk and Say What You Think
“No, I cannot say it. This is too boring”. “No, this has nothing to do with now.” “This is too personal”. When something does not look interesting or valuable enough, your mind censors in an instant and does not add to the conversation. When you think you have nothing more to say in a conversation, the reality is not that you have run out of good conversation topics. You have simply run out what happened to your filter “this is good enough”.
2). Delete Your Confidence to Multiply Your Good Conversation Topics
Think of the conversations you have with your friends or family. In them, you can talk about anything trivial. Things like the bread you have eaten that seemed soft. But that could end up becoming some fascinating and good conversation topics about the lies of whole-meal bread, for example. In these conversations, people do not filter what they have to say. Quite simply, they say what they think. When you take a couple of drinks and talk so much, it is not because you become cleverer: it’s because you’ve removed your self-censorship and say what’s in your head without thinking whether it is good enough. From now on, incorporate this new rule: always say what you think is not too controversial. You just tenfold increase your amount of resources.
3). The secret of the art of conversation
We’ve all been in a conversation that ran slow and heavy until, as if by magic, emerged a subject that fascinated us enough to talk about it. That is the only ingredient necessary for good conversation topics to let the conversation flow without effort: to find a common ground. This is called the link. Your goal should be to find similarities to bind yourself with your partner. They can be passions or subjects that will interest both. Even topics as trivial as where you bought the clothes you are wearing. Any link may be the beginning of good conversation topics. There are also many studies that show that we like people who look like us, so that in addition to converse better, will like more.
4). What to do when you have nothing in common?
Many people give up too quickly when there is no common ground. But in that case, you can find the link not in the subject itself, but for your interest in the subject. For example, yesterday I bought the interlocutor, the latest multi-threading computer with eight cores and GPU 450 to 700 megahertz processor with motion interpolation. You do not even know what language you’re talking about! You do not know much about computers but you’ve always wanted to know more. What is the difference between that and a normal one? This way your partner sees that although not mastered in the subject, you are willing to show an interest in it for him/him. And another link appears: both have an interest in the same thing; he/she just has more knowledge about the subject.
5). Weaving the web of conversation
The aim of a conversation is to take things gradually until you find good conversation topics that link. But to find those items, you need to master the threads of conversation. Think of a conversation like the thread of a cobweb to be forking. Each branch is an issue. It is dividing and creating new branches as the conversation progresses. Sometimes a road will take you to a standstill, but then you can go back and take another path.
6). Weave the threads of conversation
The problem is that there are almost never any pending forks that are created. You just think about what you’re going to say, prepare a reply, and you lose a lot of threads to continue from and eventually lose all the good conversation topics.
7). Take mental notes during the conversation
Each time the other person says something: take a mental note. From these entries, choose one and ask something related. Then repeat the same with the answer you are given. Suppose he/she says, “Yesterday I returned from Japan and I still have a jet lag, but tomorrow at 8 a.m., I need to start working”. Here are three ways that you can follow: The fact that he/she has returned from Japan; the fact that he/she has jet lag; his/her job. You can choose any of the three to continue the conversation, either asking about the trip or explaining how to fight against jet lag or showing interest in their work. When you feel the conversation is approaching the phase of silence, it is the sign that you should turn to your list of bookmarks or good conversation topics.
10 Key Practices to Create and Maintain Conversation Threads for Good Conversation Topics
Below you will find ten very effective strategies to keep a conversation alive by exploring and creating new threads and finding good conversation topics.
1). Ask open and positive questions
Although it is advisable to avoid closed questions, it is not a drama to use them occasionally, if then continued by adding an open question. For example:
Do you like Korean food? (Closed question)
Yes.
What dishes do you love? (Continue with an open question)
What is really important is that you show interest in what your partner is saying using positive questions. The reason is that we tend to be more willing to talk about what causes pleasant emotions than the unpleasant things (though sometimes, finding a common hatred can be very, very binding).
Some examples:
Where are you from?
This is one of the best ways to finish talking about work, origins, family or hobbies. Everyone has a story and it is very flattering to share with anyone who will listen.
What is the best thing you like about…?
Very useful because it brings joy and freshness! It evokes the best of people and it offers many opportunities to engage in a positive conversation resulting in good conversation topics.
How did you get to where you are now?
Another one of those questions allowing your partner to tell a story itself and offering a wide range of conversation threads.
What is the biggest challenge…?
Ideal for professional conversations! We all like to tell how we overcame difficulties in our lives.
Tell me more about…
Although not a question, it is also a great way to create new threads. And asking someone to delve into what he/she is telling is very flattering.
If he/she answers these questions with a “do not know“, do not give up. Yes! They know, but they only have to think a little more about it. Ask again making an assumption and answering for him/her (Don’t you think the biggest challenge is…?) so you can help with the answer.
2). Change the tense to a question
Change the tense of your questions to the future or the past multiplied by three times the number of good conversation topics. A conversation usually begins in the present (how are you, what are you doing here, what do you work in…) and then you can move forward or backward in time. If for example, you’ve already asked where he/she works, you can ask if he/she considers going forward with a career change in the near future.
3). Respond even when you are not asked a question
To make your partner feel comfortable, it is crucial to show an interest in what he/she is saying. People like to talk much about themselves if someone is willing to lend an ear. However, good conversation topics should be like a tennis match: an exchange of information between both the parties. At the moment one of them monopolizes, it becomes a game of racquetball. The problem is that if the other person does not have too many social skills and is limited only to answer your questions, your conversations will end up looking like interrogations and will end quickly. To avoid this, get used to responding even if you are not asked. If you ask about their favorite food dish and they give a specific answer, feel free to say that yours is apple pie even if you aren’t asked.
4). Deepen the four emotional issues
As you progress through the conversation and according to the predisposition that you see in your partner, try to enter the emotional issues that generate positive emotions. If you find a link, it may turn into something much more powerful. And what usually consists of our favorite emotional issues: Family, Hobbies, Travel and Childhood (memories). These good conversation topics allow us to connect with our experiences, dreams, and aspirations, and offer multiple opportunities to bond emotionally. The threads of the conversation flow because you are continually linking through your memories.
5). Do not be too logical
A common problem is entering the right state of mind for a conversation. If you’ve spent all day studying or working and in an emotional state, it will cost you to begin to interact socially. To find new conversation threads, you should talk less logical things. Employ your imagination. Think about the possibilities for good conversation topics. An excellent way to do this is to use hypothetical questions.
What would you rather…? This will begin to change the logical state of your interlocutor. The possibilities are what you want: rate earlier if the person is too rational. People often begin conversations with strangers in a very logical state. To avoid this, join your question with something real that happened recently. If for example, you saw the movie Back to the Future the day before, ask what time would you rather go back in if given the chance. You will find a lot more resources in the article on questions to ask when you meet new people and discover new, good conversation topics!
6). Prepare a repertoire of good conversation topics
Not all questions. Keeping up with what is happening in the world will help create new threads and to continue talks. When you do not know what to say, it is always useful to bring to light a topical issue. The great talkers usually have four or five topical issues in the chamber ready for use as soon as the conversation begins to stop. Taking a look at the latest before going to a social event is always a good idea. Sometimes even with a “Has anyone seen a good movie lately?” is enough. The art of conversation, even if it seems something innate, also requires preparation and some good conversation topics in your bag!
7). Connect with more stories and fewer facts
Stories are powerful tools of communication. They have been the main form of transmission of knowledge for centuries and have created many opportunities for emotional attachment. The reason is that when we hear one, our unconscious cannot help but imagine ourselves as protagonists of it. That serves to make your partner feel more identified with you. Have more stories and fewer facts. In the same way, it is good to have a list of topics; so is having a repertoire of stories. As you go wearing them see, which ones are more interesting and good conversation topics, more fun and which ones should be discarded.
When it is your turn in a conversation, do not answer only with an “I’d also like to go jogging.” Yours has some history related. “I also like jogging…except when I have a lion behind me, as on my last trip to Kenya. “ Convert your questions into stories. If you start talking about the time, you can continue asking for a story about it: “Tomorrow say rain poured down. What is the biggest flood that you’ve ever lived in?” Speaking of shoes is not interesting. It is the story behind the shoes which can be fascinating.
8). Always use the extended responses
A classic mistake is too many open questions which are responded with a terse “Yes” or “No” when asked. Do not answer in monosyllables if you do not want to create a moment of silence or directly kill the conversation. The other person may not know how to go from your answer. To help, add additional information to your answers:
Your interlocutor: Did you start working just to finish the race?
You: No. At the end of the race, I decided to take a semester off so I took the opportunity to make a trip to South America. On my return, I was doing interviews until I got a job as a poorly paid trainee.
And you have 2 threads of conversation more: Your trip to South America and the hard life of a trainee. This multiplies the number of good conversation topics!
9). Ask why and what
My favorite and one of the easiest ways to keep alive a conversation and to find good conversation topics! Most conversations I hear are as follows:
You: What do you do?
Your interlocutor: I’m a nurse.
You: How interesting! I’m a lawyer.
End of conversation.
Asking why or what is an extremely easy way to multiply the conversation threads: It sounds easy, right? As always, it amazes me the amount of people who do not do employ it in their conversations.
You: What do you do?
Your interlocutor: I’m a nurse.
You: How interesting! I’m a lawyer. Why did you decide to study nursing?
Perhaps it tells you that helping people are their vocation, or that all women of her family are nurses, or she actually wanted to study medicine and did not reach the note. You will have many new threads.
10). Watch your body language
Everything you’ve read in this article cannot serve you anything if your body does not say the same as your words. When you have a conversation with someone and the body language indicates mistrust and insecurity, your brain gets two contradictory information. This creates discomfort and the feeling of distrust with your partner. To prevent this from happening to you, keep in mind the following:
- Make eye contact during the 30-60% of the conversation, especially when you hear. It is not necessary to do the entire ratio (our eyes move as we think or remember experiences) but don’t avoid it.
- Do not situate yourself full front with your partner. Position yourself at an angle. The opposite can generate some discomfort.
- Use an open stance. While it is logical that occasionally, you cross your arms or legs to relieve internally, do not remain in that position throughout the conversation.
- Nod occasionally while your partner is talking to motivate him/her to continue doing so.
Learn to swim in the pool
To learn how to maintain fluid conversations, it is not enough to know the theory. You should implement it. At first, you will make mistakes, but still and will be above average in terms of ease to talk.
Foot in the pool
Start practicing one technique for a week before moving on to the next. Ideally, you do it with people that there are no consequences with…regardless of whether you do good or bad, as co-workers, taxi drivers or waiters. Finally, remember why you have to keep the conversation at any cost. Your responsibility is to try, but there are times when the other person simply will not want to talk to anyone, you will not find any common ground, or will be a terrible conversationalist.
Some signs that are uncomfortable and unwilling to connect emotionally are as follows.
- Just answering in monosyllables.
- It is nothing concrete; always he/she says “more or less” or “I do not know” when you ask something.
- His/her body language is closed and he/she constantly looks here and there.
- His/her feet point all the way to another location (such as output).
In that case, do not force the conversation. Today probably is not the right day to talk to that person.
The more you practice these techniques, the easier it will be to keep alive your conversations. If you’re persistent, I assure you that eventually your problem will not be finding out how to continue talks, but how to learn to finish them.
Going out on a first date can be very difficult, especially if you find a topic to speak about because your output may languish to give you the feeling that you had been better elsewhere.
5 Ideas for Good Conversation Topics
If you want to know what the 5 ideas for good conversation topics with a man/woman are and avoid this issues, do not stop reading the following part of this article!
1). What was your favorite movie?
This is ideal, especially if you both went on a date to see a movie and are later having a conversation over drinks. When you are calm, it is ideal is to start talking about the movie he/she saw and when you run out of that subject, begin to recall the films you saw and what were your favorites. The same applies to books and music.
2). What is your biggest goal?
In this case, you can talk about work and performance. This question can have another connotation because if you like him/her a lot, you can leverage to make a compliment and say that the most important goal right now is you. If that happens, put all your arts of seduction on the table because now you know you are ready to conquer whatever.
3). What is your favorite place in the world?
This question can be the starting point to have an interesting conversation and find out many more good conversation topics about travel and places that you both have known to compare and tell your plan to maybe go on a future trip together to the dreamed place.
4). What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?
Undoubtedly, this topic of conversation will be the kickoff to plan future outings together. It can be an important time to know whether you are compatible or not in terms of taste for the fun factor. If you want to know what things he/she likes to do and what not, do not hesitate to ask this question.
5). What kinds of things make you laugh?
Humor is a very important point in every relationship. To know how to proceed and also have an interesting and fun talk with your partner, do not hesitate to ask what things cause him/her to laugh and tell what makes you laugh. You will see that within minutes, both of you will be laughing and enjoying the conversation.
You may also like:
- Cute things to say to your girlfriend
- How to Attract Women
- How to Text Girl You Like
- How to Flirt with a Girl Perfect Ways
- Beautiful Love Text Messages for Girlfriend
- Cute Names to Call Your Girlfriend
As you can see, it is very simple to have good conversation topics, you just have to be smart and know how to start. In addition, you can also talk about other things that may interest you both like sports, breaking news and current affairs. Do not hesitate; try new and good conversation topics and you’ll have a great success.
