Are your conversations boring with awkward silences?

Do you get nervous before social occasions because you don’t know what to say?

Conversation is more than blathering on about the mundane trivialities of life.  For conversation to be fruitful and worth the time of both you and the other person, it needs to be captivating, and interesting.  There should be a “wow!” factor.

Most conversations are boring, often tedious, and leave a poor impression with your conversation partner.  Here are five sure fire topics to talk about to keep your next partner engaged.

SPORTS – Many people are sports fans, and chances are your conversation partner is as well. Even if the other person isn’t a sports fan, chances are they have a strong opinion about NOT being a fan, and that can easily be an interesting conversation in its own right.  Now most of you know, I don’t watch sports however most find it fun to teach me a thing or two about the subject.

CURRENT EVENTS – Find something in the news, some captivating event that is talked about in all of the newspapers and has all of the talking heads chattering. Steer clear of politics or religion unless you know the other person well.  Same as sports, I am busy building my businesses and living my life so currents events often pass by without me even knowing.  I will ask some open ended questions about what is happening in the news which gets them talking for days.  Be the fascinated student, and your partner will be thrilled with the conversation.

LOCAL EVENTS – One of the easiest things to discuss with other people is events and happenings occurring in your mutual back yard. This may require a little preparation, and acquaint yourself with any swap meets, farmers’ markets, fairs or festivals happening in your city and use this in conversation. Your conversation partner will likely have heard of other, similar events of interest to you as well.

FRIENDS, FAMILY, COLLEAGUES AND ACQUAINTANCES – If you know the other person through business or social networks it is always a great conversation topic to discuss people and events that you both know, and this is an excellent way to catch up with things you might not have yet heard.

MUSIC – Everyone loves music of some type. Everyone. While some may be more into it than others, remember the human brain is hardwired to enjoy music making it an interesting topic to talk about. The only difference between two people’s musical tastes is simply a matter of preference.

A great conversation can easily be two people sharing what  types of music they do and do not enjoy. Such discussions not only help forge connections between you and your conversation partner, they may lead to you new and as-yet-undiscovered genres and artists you might like.

Bottom line: Engage others in conversation with openers such as I suggest above and have silence happen only when you choose.  Happy talking and listening.