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.