Conversation Starters--How to Break The Ice

Often times I'm at events by myself. Or I'm there early, waiting for the people I'm meeting to show up. These are good opportunities to break the ice with people I don't know. But it can be challenging. First, it's hard to tap the glass around a married or romantically involved couple. An alternative is to join a "quad," but it can be risky because you're at the mercy of their conversation (if the topic is sports, I'll be woefully unprepared).

Hence I try to pinpoint other people out on a limb, flying solo. But even then, the standard "So, what do you do?" gets crusty. At Networking Insight, the author offers ten topics to start a good conversation.

Below are my top 3 that lead to more than just yes or no:

• "That is such a nice shawl/pin/dress you are wearing, where did you get that?"
• "Is this going to be a good party or what?" or "Did you come to this event last year? How was it?"
  
• The tried and true, "Hi, how are you today?"
  

Sharing is caring. What's your best opening line? The worst? Most interesting?

Informal conversation is probably the oldest mechanism by which opinions on products and brands are developed, expressed, and spread.
~ Johan Arndt