Starting a conversation with strangers is always challenging, no matter how good you are at your Communication skills. Even people who speak confidently feel nervous to start a conversation. In this Communication skills training video with Michelle at Skilopedia you will learn top 10 Ice-breakers to start a conversation anywhere, anywhere and with anyone. Use these smart phrases to break the ice and start speaking with confidence. They are certainly helpful in any situation where you meet strangers and need to begin a conversation.
Complete Video Transcript : –
So whether you want to start a conversation with a new guy or girl you find attractive, or you want to start a conversation with someone in your office possibly a new colleague, what you need is a good icebreaker and what is an icebreaker? Well icebreaker is the opening communication. The first conversation that you have with somebody and this conversation can create a lasting impression on that person which can indeed turn into lasting friendship and valuable partnerships. So breaking the ice and opening the lines of communication can be useful not just with colleagues but also with anyone who we are beginning to know. A bad icebreaker however can be a recipe for disaster. So how do you start a meaningful conversation? This has been a question for many people, especially with someone new and avoid embarrassing situations or awkward moments of silence with someone. So where do you begin? You have to understand that it is normal to feel a bit nervous when you approach someone. Everyone gets a bit nervous, after all you don’t know what this person is thinking about you and what this person is like. The person could be grumpy, a mean guy but the only way to know for sure what the person is like is to get over being shy and approach them. That person might turn out to be the nicest and the kindest person you ever meet. Great! So this is how you can start a conversation with somebody, you can start by filling your mind with possible icebreakers to start a conversation and follow-up questions to sustain the conversation and to help you out with ideas for starting a conversation I’ve got for you 10 of the most effective icebreakers you can use in different situations, my name is Michelle and you’re watching me on Skillopedia the place to learn skills for the real world. “How are you doing today miss?” A genuine hello accompanied by a three seconds is one of the most basic and highly effective icebreaker. Many times we ignore the simple things as being too simple not realizing that simple things can have the biggest impact sometimes. So think about the people who say, ‘good morning’ or ‘howdy’ to their neighbors. This simple greeting is usually followed up with ‘how are you?’ or ‘how are your kids?’ and it’s not long before the two parties are talking about their families and even their favorite sports. So this is the first conversation breaker that you can use, an icebreaker that you can use to engage in a conversation with somebody. “Does this shop always have such long queues?” Simply commenting on an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation that you both are experiencing in your immediate surroundings is another smart way for starting a conversation with somebody. So you can comment about a long queue or a long bathroom line or a wobbly waiting room chair while you are sitting and waiting for something and by focusing on an unpleasant situation that you both find yourselves in and smartly complaining about it, you cleverly join the other person against a common enemy and that’s a good place to start, because whenever you have a common problem there is a lot to talk about. “Mumbai really is a Windy City” yes, talk about the weather. It may sound cliché but it works wonders in real life. People talk about the weather all the time. It’s a topic everyone has an opinion about, isn’t it? This one can never go old. Think of how you have an opinion about what dress you should wear for a particular weather and what kind of clothes should you wear for a particular weather. So once the person responds you can continue with the small talk by saying something in response like, ‘the wind is so strong, it nearly blew me over’ etc. etc. So weather is always a good place to start with somebody you don’t know. “Oh! Did you hear about that..?” So you can kick start a conversation by talking about an interesting, entertaining, funny news. You may not like reading the latest news very much but you’ll find that it is a very useful conversation starter to break the ice with someone. So try a simple, ‘did you hear about what happened in LA recently?’ then get right into your conversation as you start describing what happened there and how things went wrong and then allow the other person to give an opinion about the story and here you are already engaged in a conversation about a news event that happens somewhere in the world and if your story is interesting enough you could stretch the conversation as far as you both want. “What kind of a drink is that?” People love eating and drinking. If the person you want to start a conversation with has a nice looking drink or a delicious looking burger, comment on how delicious or not so delicious the burger looks, or else you could ask her or him what kind of drink he or she is having and when they reply you could say something like, ‘do you really like it?’ ‘Can I buy you another?’ I know that’s a bit cheesy but it’s up to you and up to the situation whether you want to say that or not. Then you can introduce yourself and don’t forget to flash your best charming smile that is what works wonders. “That’s a lovely name, are you named after someone?” This works especially well in a workplace setting, in a business meeting or the conference where people are wearing name tags. So if somebody has an interesting name, walk up to that person and say something like ‘Camélia, lovely name, what’s the origin of the name?’ That’s a nice place to start and she’ll probably be excited to tell you about her French name, maybe it’s French and before you know it, you’re already talking to her and a conversation has started and if my name is ordinary or common however you might not find too many interesting questions to ask but in that case you are still in a conversation and you can extend it further. “Hello, do you work here?” This also works well at a workplace or a business setting where people are wearing name tags again. Even if you know the answer ask whether he works there anyway, if you know some people who work at his company or retail store you can mention to them like, ‘oh! My friend Jake also works here, ah do you know him? And then you can follow up with some related questions like, ‘what do you do here?’ and ‘have you been working here for a very long time?’, ‘do you like it?’, ‘are you enjoying your work?’ and ‘what’s your favorite or worst part of your job?’ So these are the kind of questions that you can ask somebody, when you meet them possibly at a conference or at a business meeting. “Excuse me, I just thought I should come over and talk to you…” Sometimes the best and most fun icebreaker is honesty. Walk up to the person and just be honest. Tell him or her that you want to talk to her talk to that person and point out how awkward and funny the situation is for both of you and that you are trying to make the best of it and sometimes that can also work for you. So if you’re quite an honest person and you want to be honest and clear in your first meeting just go up to them. “Nice earrings” this comment is a classic technique to break the ice with someone. No matter whom you’re talking to, saying something genuinely nice about their outfit, accessories or even personality will usually get you a good response and the person receiving the compliment will thank you and possibly say something nice about you in return and while doing this a conversation starts. So keep the conversation going by asking a question like, ‘where did you buy these earrings from?’ ‘I really like them’. So these are my top conversation starters to break the ice with someone. Write them down, memorize them and use them. All the best! Hope you have a fun time breaking the ice with someone you like.
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