Tirin Moore in Pursuit of Happiness

How To Keep A Conversation Going (With Examples)

Often, we will end up discussing things as mundane as our workdays or weather. The key here is to give the topics a humorous or engaging spin. For example, if you must talk about a storm last night, instead of asking her how it was for her, make it funny.

What are conversation skills and why are they important?

Conversation skills are interpersonal traits that allow individuals to communicate effectively with others. Conversation skills include active listening, language usage, empathy and storytelling. It is important to have good conversation skills because it can help you professionally present yourself at work. Here are a few more examples of why good conversation skills are important:

Helps establish meaningful professional connections

By using good conversation skills, you have the ability to make others feel valued. It also enables you to develop the conversation further to learn more about one another and your professional interests.

Encourages mutual understanding

When you understand how to converse with others and continue conversations, you can help the other person understand your views and learn about theirs too. By understanding one another, you have a better chance of maintaining positive communication and working well together.

Helps you articulate your ideas

Knowing how to converse with others allows you to share your thoughts and ideas in a well-spoken manner. This demonstrates your professionalism and helps you gain support for different projects or business ventures.

Avoid asking too many questions in a row

I compiled the questions above as a list for your reference. However, you don’t want to interview the other person — you want to have a conversation. In between these questions, share relevant things about yourself. The conversation might take off in any direction, far away from the timeline.

What do you think the person you talk about might like to talk about? Literature, health, technology, arts? Luckily, we can often make assumptions about what someone might be interested in and bring it into the conversation.

If you don’t get a positive response, try asking about something else or mentioning something else at a later time. So if you mention books, but the other person doesn’t seem interested, you could say, “I finally got around to seeing Blade Runner. Are you into sci-fi?”

Why are mutual interests so powerful to get a conversation going? Because when you find one, you’ll get that special connection that you only get with people you share interests with. At this point, you can leave small talk behind and discuss something you both really enjoy.

On a Date

1. What’s the last thing that made you laugh out loud? The only thing people love more than laughing is making others laugh. This conversation starter also gives an opening for people to show you a hilarious video or share a memory that you can giggle about together.
2. What was your first car? Is there anything more nostalgic than a person’s first car? Whether it’s laughably embarrassing or impossibly cool, they’ll almost certainly want to share a story about their first set of wheels.
3. What person in your life brings you the most joy? A perfect chance to talk about their mom, grandfather or other beloved family member or friend, this topic is sure to lead to more conversation as your date shares stories about the person they love.
4. Do you have any tattoos? People usually love sharing the stories behind their tattoos. Or if they don’t have any, they’ll probably be happy to explain why.
5. Do you have any pets? What are their names? Get to know whether they’re a dog or cat person (or reptile or bird!) and find out the meaning behind Fido’s name.
6. What were you obsessed with when you were a child? Dinosaurs, monster trucks, Barbies — every kid has an obsession and finding out your date’s childhood interests might help you learn more about them as an adult.
7. What’s your most controversial opinion? People love giving “hot takes.” Find out your date’s ultimate controversial opinion and be ready to share your own point of view on the topic, doing your best to reach understanding if you don’t agree.
8. What’s the most annoying habit a person can have? Bond over shared annoyance with this topic (or find out if you have the habit they hate).
9. What are you going to order? If you’re at a restaurant, bar, coffee shop or anywhere else with a menu, this easy conversation starter is sure to get the other person chatting. Plus you’ll figure out the vibe of the date (i.e. cocktails and apps or a beer and a huge steak).
10. Where’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been? This question works well for travelers and homebodies alike. A citizen of the world might tell you about an exotic foreign locale while a less-traveled person might tell you about a particularly special area close to their hometown. Either way, the conversation is sure to flow.

If you don’t have children of your own or aren’t around kids often, it can feel daunting to try to chat with them. But the truth is most children love to talk to grownups, especially about a topic that interests them. Bust out these ideas at your next child’s birthday party or sporting event.

1. What’s your favorite dinosaur? Of course, not every child likes dinosaurs or knows enough about them to have a favorite. But many of them do, and if they don’t, they’ll be happy to tell you something else they do like. Be ready to follow up with “How about planets?” or any other child-friendly topic.
2. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Family is a favorite topic for most kids since they spend all their time together. This is especially true if they have a new baby in the house and are getting used to their older sibling status. Be sure to follow up with “Are they older or younger?” and “What do you like to do together?”
3. What show are you watching right now? Kids love to talk about their favorite shows, which they likely watch over and over. Ask why they like that show and what is their favorite episode.
4. What food would you eat every day if you could? A fun alternative to “what’s your favorite food,” this topic will likely bring some hilarious answers. You can follow up with questions like “What kind of candy?” and “How many bowls of mac and cheese could you eat in one sitting?”
5. What’s your favorite color? What about your brother’s favorite color? If there’s one thing kids catch onto early, it’s their favorite color. And they likely know the preferred hue for their family and close friends.
6. What are you going to do for your birthday this year? Don’t worry if their birthday has already passed or they aren’t doing anything big. Kids love to talk about their grandiose birthday plans — even if they will never happen. This topic also lends itself well to follow up questions like “What kind of cake will you have?” and “Who are you going to invite?”
7. What’s your favorite subject in school? For kids, school is their full-time job. It’s where they spend lots of their time and mental energy, so they should have plenty to talk about. Follow up with questions about why they like that particular subject and which subjects are not on their list.
8. What’s your favorite animal? Kids have strong opinions about their favorite animals, whether they are real or imaginary. You can keep the conversation going with follow-up questions about favorite animals that are pets, live at the zoo, live in the ocean and more.
9. What’s your favorite room in your house and why? To kids, home is their playground and safe space, so they will likely love to chat about it. You could ask more questions about their favorite toys, books and things to do outside.
10. Which TV show or movie would you want to come true in real life? Whether they’d like their favorite cartoon animal to come alive or live in a castle like a movie princess, kids are sure to have lots of opinions on this one.
11. What’s your favorite song? Get ready to listen to them sing it!

Don’t be afraid to cheer each other

If you’re not in the best of moods, your natural inclination will be to avoid conversation. You’re hardly at your most charming, sociable, and likable self when you’re feeling low. Be open about having a bad day or an argument with a close friend or family member. As you talk through these issues, you might find that you’re having a deeply invested, honest conversation about something you usually wouldn’t talk about.

Sometimes, during a conversation, you need to look around and observe what is going on. You could talk about the song playing in the bar and how it makes you feel, discuss the smell or decor of a restaurant, or view a picnic venue. Sometimes, making conversation is as simple as looking around you, noticing things, and talking about them.

Let the conversation flow naturally

Not every conversation has to be (or can be) scripted and go according to a planned schedule. As humans, we’re bound to react to things organically, and conversations can go independently. It becomes a natural conversation because no one is really “trying.” Learn to recognize this feeling and embrace it when it happens to you.

These tips on how to keep a conversation going with a girl will have you making fun and engaging conversations with the girl that you are interested in. Although it can be tricky to come up with topics, with the help of these simple tips and tricks, you can keep the conversation going on smoothly. But make sure that you are not just the one doing the talking, and you also give her the space to express her thoughts. Use your humor and wittiness to make enjoyable conversations that will eventually result in the two of you coming together.

Keeping a conversation going with a girl you like can be challenging and tricky. However, you can have fun and engaging conversations with any girl with the above tips. Make sure you don’t force a conversation or talk too much, which may push her away from you. Instead, give her enough space and talk only when you have something interesting to say. Be respectful and playful, use your humor, and always keep an open mind to enjoy fruitful conversations that eventually bring you closer to her.

References:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-keep-a-conversation-going
https://socialself.com/blog/the-5-best-ways-to-keep-a-conversation-going/
https://www.signupgenius.com/groups/good-conversation-topics.cfm
https://www.momjunction.com/articles/how-top-keep-the-conversation-going-with-a-girl_00760908/