8 Conversation Starters Because, Well, We Really Need Them Right Now

Long stints at home and mostly ‘socialising’ via Zoom meetings have left us all slightly forgetful about how to interact IRL. And we all know it, but the experts at the Centre for Social Impact agree, “It’s important we focus on keeping up social connections even while physically distancing.” 

But when it comes to chit-chat, there has been one topic dominating headlines, our thoughts and daily life for almost the entirety of this year so it’s pretty tricky not to mention it whatsoever. And with everything that's going on, the once light-hearted opener, “hey, how are you?” has taken on new meaning. 

As Dr. Deborah Tannen told The New York Times, if you don’t want to “open the floodgates,” then “temper your salutation with something positive, something light and something that everybody does. “‘What’s the best thing you ate,’ not ‘What did you eat this week that you wish you didn’t,’” she said. That’s the essence of small talk, floating conversations about the weather, the weekend and the Knicks.”

So if you find yourself mentioning the dreaded you-know-what every time you bump into someone, nip to the GP, meet a friend for coffee, call your family – (the virus of course – behave) – then here are some lighthearted conversation-starters to steer the chat in a fun new direction and help you bond with those around you, when we’ve never needed to more. 

1. “What was the highlight of your day?”
You get more thoughtful, specific and interesting answers than you would with “what have you been up to?” Often it jogs their memory of a nice thing that happened to them or a funny interaction. Try it!

2. Wear a statement accessory
Wear one, carry one, cover yourself in one... or comment on one. Works every time. A focal piece can spark a conversation without you even having to. Even better if it has a backstory about how you found it or inherited it. We’ve had strangers approach us about hats we were wearing, fun shoes… the accessory of choice is yours.