Talking to a new person for the first time can be nerve-wracking. How can you possibly communicate with someone you know nothing about? How do you strike up a conversation with someone you’ve never met before? If you’re looking for a way to break the ice with a new acquaintance, here are five conversation starters you can use in English.
Start by introducing yourself
The easiest way to strike up a chat can be found in the following phrase. However, assurance is required. Give a little more than just your name when introducing yourself to make a better impression. You could, for instance, give some background on your connection to the event’s organizer or your attendance. One pro tip people get attracted to some words, or letters you can say such as positive words that begin with N. You’ll be giving the other person an opening to interact with you in some way, whether it’s through asking you a question or providing some information about themselves.
Observe and comment on your immediate environment
When you meet someone face to face, you immediately have something in common with them: your environment. Talk about the event’s spread or setting, and you’ll immediately have something in common to discuss with your companion.
Is this a group outing?
If you make an effort, you can increase the size of your social group by talking to the friends or family of people you already know who will be attending the event. You can tactfully express interest in meeting someone’s co-worker by asking what the different roles are on that person’s team, and responding with something like, “You know, I’ve always wanted to learn more about X. Help me out by introducing me to your coworker who handles that.”
But if they’re a lone wolf like you, you might feel some sympathy for them. That doesn’t mean you should cling to that person the entire time, but a “me, too” is always nice. Don’t just leave it at that, though; suggest a place to gather with your cohort, perhaps by saying that you’ve heard there will be a fantastic breakout session thereafter.
Find something in common
You may feel like you don’t know anything about this new person, but the fact that they’re in the same room with you proves otherwise. If you want to know why someone is there, you can ask, “What brings you here?” or you can ask, “How do you know the host?” to find out if you share any common friends.
Just say something nice
Positive feedback is something that almost everyone appreciates. Making a remark about somebody’s attire or accessories is a fail-safe method of initiating a chat. You could compliment someone’s footwear and then ask, “Where did you get those shoes?” It’s helpful to ask questions like this since it encourages the other person to open up and share more information about themselves. Make sure not to make comments about a person’s body in English, though. It’s a sensitive topic and likely to offend people.
Inquire about something
Almost all people have jobs, so why not ask the person, “So what do you do for a living?” Or “Where are you from originally?” meaning you want to know where they were born. Questions are the key to a successful first conversation, so use them liberally. Polite people will ask you the same question back, giving you an opening to introduce yourself. Asking questions is an excellent method to find a topic you are both interested in chatting about.
The five approaches we just covered are all great ways to initiate a chat in English. Try employing this next time you find it tough to start a conversation. Maybe, maybe not; who can say? Possibly, you’ll meet some interesting people and form some new friendships.
Hi, I’m ‘X.'”
In fact, it is effective. Just be sure you prepare something to follow your introduction, so that you don’t end up staring at one other in silence. And as you’ll see, that’s the key to most conversation starters – be ready with a follow-up. Just because you’ve said “hello” to someone doesn’t mean you’ve met them; you should be prepared to carry on a conversation and deepen it.
(Please sign your name instead of “X”)
Is the wireless connection malfunctioning for you?
The good news is that almost always the answer is “yes.” And I don’t know about you, but I’m sure that everyone has horror stories about the time the internet went down for them at the worst possible moment; those are always wonderful conversation starters.
