How To Bring Up A Topic Of Conversation? 12 Tips To Break The Ice

Do you feel shy or nervous when you have to start talking to strangers? How can we start a conversation with a person we don’t know? Discover how to bring up a topic of conversation and break the ice.

How to bring up a topic of conversation

Some people may have some ability to engage and initiate conversations with others. On the other hand, there are many times when people experience difficulties connecting with another person, especially at first. Know how to get a topic of conversation It can be complicated for those who feel a certain shyness or even suffer from low self-esteem or social anxiety. What can we do to be more sociable with others?

How to bring up a topic of conversation?

One way to alleviate the anxiety that a first meeting with someone can entail is to try to prepare in advance. This doesn’t mean continually worrying about what might happen (something you won’t know until it happens), but rather trying to know what you can talk about. If you are nervous about taking the first step, we recommend that you keep the following tips in mind:

  1. Maintain a positive attitude: Don’t worry if you make mistakes and have faith in your social skills. Getting too anxious about what you are going to say in front of another person can make you feel more tense in front of the other person and even lose the thread of the conversation you have started. Instead, try to be more present and enjoy the interaction. That is, focus on the other person and the topic of conversation what you are talking about.
  2. Use relaxation techniques: If you start to feel increasingly nervous, try using different strategies to calm your body organically. For example, by using deeper breathing you can relax physically and consequently also mentally and psychologically.
  3. Present yourself: If you do not know how to bring up a topic of conversation, one of the easiest ways to start talking to someone is precisely by introducing yourself. Although it may seem absurd, doing this already gives way to breaking the initial ice, especially if you accompany it with a simple question or make a positive observation about the person.
  4. Be aware of conversation killers: There are some things you should avoid if you want them to conversation topics flow when you strike up the first words with a person. For example, political comments, complaints or criticism of others are a bad letter of introduction, since people tend to avoid these topics when they are starting to get to know someone.
  5. Start in a simple way: Studies suggest that when you want bring up topics to talk to others, simpler comments are more effective. In fact, even if you are a lover of deeper conversations, it is better to start with something more superficial. Therefore, the simplest comments or questions to break the ice will be very helpful to start connecting with someone.
  6. Ask others for help: Another simple way that can help you know how to bring up a topic of conversation with a person is simply asking a question. Doing this step will make them feel useful and involved with you, so this person will feel more connected to you. For example, you can ask if they know what time a workshop starts or how to get to a particular location.
  7. Take into account your body language: On many occasions, it is not so important what you say, but how you do it. In fact, when you make first contact with another person, it can be very useful to pay attention to your non-verbal communication. Our body language is a way of conveying interest and positivity. That is, having an upright and comfortable posture, establishing eye contact with the other person or smiling more can make your interlocutor feel more open to you. On the other hand, slouching, looking away, and frowning may imply that the other person feels that he or she is more bored or disinterested. Tips for raising topics of conversation
  8. Listen and express interest: It can be intimidating or unpleasant to try to talk to someone who is not listening to you or who is not interested in what you are telling them. In fact, one of the ways to know how to get a topic of conversation with another person is precisely to ask and talk about their interests. When doing so, it is important to show genuine interest and in fact, it is likely that by listening you will discover something interesting about a topic that you did not master before.
  9. Establish a balance: A good conversation is not only based on focusing on a specific topic and listening, but you must also share what you think about it. For example, when asking and hearing the answer, try to express your own position and ask another question related to what you are discussing. Also, keep in mind not to ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
  10. Avoid hasty judgments: If you try to learn from the other person, it is difficult for you to start judging them. On the contrary, sometimes we can jump to conclusions about people based on superficial facts. On many occasions, things do not always seem what they are and especially when it comes to first impressions, try not to have a fixed idea about the person you are meeting.
  11. Try to learn with each interaction: A person you have never met before may have had experiences you have never considered before. These people may have been in places, in countries and with people very different from those you are used to contacting. Therefore, it can give you a new perspective on life. Anyone has interesting topics to present within a conversation and if you remain open to learning from it, this will give you more possibilities of establishing a deeper bond with the person.
  12. Enjoy the conversation: the best way to have an interesting conversation with someone is precisely trying to enjoy the moment you are spending together. This involves flow and letting yourself go. In fact, if you feel comfortable with this person, interesting conversation topics will likely come out on their own. On the contrary, if you don’t feel very close to this person, perhaps he or she is someone you shouldn’t have in your life.
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Having good relationships is essential for our physical and mental health. Research reveals that having quality connections with others is linked to a stronger immune system, greater longevity, lower levels of anxiety, and better self-esteem. Therefore, learn to know how to bring up a topic of conversation It is a bet to increase your well-being.