Imagine it’s your first day in office. There are countless colleagues waiting to make your acquaintance. Do you feel your heart pumping just at the thought of making the first move? Sounds like a clichéd romantic story doesn’t it? But trust us when we say that not knowing the right conversation starter can really put you in an embarrassing spot. And who would probably want that on their first day?

In our previous article, we shared 7 tips to make your conversation engaging. To ease your delirium and to get you started on the path to becoming a great conversationalist, we have a list of 10 killer conversation starters to get you up and running.

Kick starting the conversation

1. Hey, tell me about you?

Instead of asking the usual boring questions like ‘Where are you from’ and ‘What do you do’, you can switch to a more interesting way of starting a conversation by asking your colleagues to share something about them. This gives them the window to engage in a dialogue with you. They can tell you about their job and any other aspect of their lives if they wish to and you too can share your side of the story with them.

2. What’s your story?

Now this is an interesting conversation starter. This conversation can lead to an exciting discussion ahead.

3. What are you working on currently?

This can be asked to colleagues you are meeting for the first time or someone you are meeting after a long time. It can lead to the other person sharing something informative and even exciting. You never know!

4. How is your experience of working in this company?

Every new comer has this question on their minds but is afraid to let it out. Now that you have already started a smooth conversation, you can pop this question too. You can learn of your colleague’s experiences and adventures in the company. It can be a great boost for someone starting on a new role.

Also read: Tips to create a compelling Elevator Pitch

On continuing the conversation

After you are done with the openers, you can steer the boat further with the following conversation fillers:

5. What do you do during the weekends?

This is such a friendly approach to getting to know your colleagues beyond the office space. Their choices and interests maybe similar to yours and you can end up making a great friend this way.

The point of having a conversation is to leave a deep positive impression on the mind of the person you are talking with.

6. Any plans for the weekend?

And if it is a Monday, you can simply ask, ‘How was your weekend?’ or ‘What did you do this weekend?’ Any conversation smoothly flows from there on.

7. Did you watch that match? Or did you watch that TV show lately?

This is again a great way to keep the conversation flowing. You can gain/share personal recommendations on a trending Netflix show or catch up on a match in the future.

8. I’m going to get myself a coffee. Anyone interested?

This is a good way to break the monotony of work. Every once in a while you can take coffee breaks and bond with your colleagues over a cup of coffee. Who said a coffee date can only be with your bae?

Also read: Master the art of making a good first impression

Graduating to deep meaningful conversations

Once you have reached this stage means that you have been speaking to someone a lot lately and have moved on from starters to deep conversations with each other.  At this point you can ask the following questions:

9. What was your dream job while growing up?

This is great way to know a person’s childhood. You can share your dreams and aspirations as well.

10. Have you regretted doing anything in life?

This is a simple question that can stir up a meaningful conversation.

The point of having a conversation is to leave a deep positive impression on the mind of the person you are talking with. Sometimes a good conversation can make your day. And on days when you are feeling the blues, it can give you the much needed inspiration to get up and working.

Also read: The Secret Of Success Is Within You. Just Find Your Trigger

Share with us in the comments section below if you found these points useful.

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