Have you ever had a conversation filled with awkward silence or that was boring and uninteresting. Maybe you didn’t ask the right questions that would have led to an interesting and engaging conversation.
Our life is full of social interaction so I have compiled a list of conversation starters that will make your interactions more meaningful.
Remember to be curious and enter a conversation with the idea that you can learn something.
Keep the conversation going by using what, how and why questions. If you can’t remember what questions to ask someone, think about questions in the following categories: Profession, Hobbies/Freetime, Food and Entertainment. These are subjects that are easy to talk about and should get people talking.
Conversation starters about your profession
1. What is exciting you right now, professionally or personally?
2. Why did you decide on your career path?
3. What do you enjoy about your job?
4. What’s your work superpower?
5. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
6. What do you want to achieve in the next five to ten years?
7. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
8. What problem do you want to solve? (in the world, for a group of people, however big or small)
9. What talent or skill would you most like to develop?
10. What three things would you like to accomplish this year?
11. What was your favorite subject in school?
12. What would you like to be known/remembered for?
13. What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
14. What does success mean to you?
15. What talent do you wish you had?
16. What small things would improve your day today?
17. How would you describe your job to a five year old?
18. What would your ideal life look like?
Hypothetical – Conversation starters about your profession
19. If you could instantly gain a skill, what would it be?
20. If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
21. If you had to teach a class, what would you teach?
22. If you wrote a bestselling book, what would you write about?
23. If you could study again, what subject would you study?
24. If you were not doing your current job, what would be your ideal job?
25. If you started a business, what type of business would you start?
26. What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
27. If you were a ruler of a country, what weird things would you do/laws would you make?
28. What would be the coolest thing you could be doing in 5 to 10 years?
29. Who would you swap lives with for a day?
30. If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
31. Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
Conversation starters about free-time / fun / hobbies
32. What’s your favorite way to spend time? (Consider different scenarios: friends/family, outdoor activities etc.)
33. What do you do to improve your mood/relax/destress?
34. Are you working on any personal projects or side hustles?
35. Do you have any hobbies or do any sport?
36. What hobby or sport would you like to start or get back into?
37. What’s your favorite way to waste time?
38. What is your favorite time of the day?
39. What was your favorite game to play as a child?
40. What is your favorite musical instrument? (Do you play any instruments?)
41. What’s your favorite word?
42. When have you been the most happy?
43. Do you know anyone who is living their life to the fullest?
44. What makes you laugh out loud?
45. What was your favorite thing to do as a kid?
46. What is one thing you can’t live without?
47. What’s one thing you’ve won and how did you win it?
48. Do you have a morning ritual?
49. Have you ever really kept a New Year’s resolution?
50. Among your friends or family, what are you known for?
51. What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?
Hypothetical – Conversation starters about free-time / fun / hobbies
52. If you could become instantly fluent in any language, what would it be?
53. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
54. If money was no object are there any sports / activities or experiences you would want to try?
55. If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
56. If you could be an animal, what would it be and why?
57. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
58. If you didn’t need to work, what would you do with your time?
59. What statistic for your life would you most like to know?
Conversation starters about travel
60. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
61. What’s the favorite place you’ve visited?
62. What culture shocks have you experienced while traveling?
63. What city would you most like to live in?
64. Why do you live where you live?
65. What types of holidays do you like? (City, beach, active, relaxing)
66. What is your favourite time of year?
67. What place would you most like to visit?
68. What’s something you like to do whenever you travel to a new country?
Hypothetical – Conversation starters about travel
69. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
70. If you could design a city, what would it look like?
71. Would you want to live on a boat, a mountain or an island?
72. Would you rather be stranded on a deserted island alone or with someone you don’t like?
73. What fictional place would you like to visit?
74. If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go right now?
Conversation starters about food
75. What’s your favorite drink? (Consider different scenarios:in the morning, at a party, to relax)
76. What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
77. What is the strangest food you have eaten?
78. Is there a food you cannot live without (obsessed about)?
79. What are you great at cooking?
80. What is your favorite breakfast food?
81. What is your favorite dessert?
82. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
83. What is your favorite meal to cook?
84. What is the best restaurant you’ve been to?
Hypothetical – Conversation starters about food
85. If you had to eat one meal everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?
86. If you created a bar or cafe based on your tastes and preferences, what would it be like? (food, drinks concept)
87. If you were in a cooking/baking competition what would you make?
88. What is the weirdest food combination you’ve ever tried or like?
Conversation starters about Entertainment
89. Is there anything interesting you have seen, listened to or read recently that you would recommend?
90. What website do you visit most often?
91. What are the three best/most used apps on your phone?
92. If you deleted all but three apps what would you keep?
93. What’s your favorite genre of books or movies/tv shows?
94. What’s your favorite animated movie?
95. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
96. What TV shows are you watching at the moment?
97. Are there any books you are reading at the moment?
98. What is your most used /favourite emoji?
99. What’s got your attention or sparked your curiosity today, and why?
Hypothetical – Conversation starters about Entertainment
100. If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose?
101. If you auditioned for a talent show, what would be your talent?
102. If you started a podcast or vlog what would it be about?
103. If you could control your dreams, what would you dream about?