Either professionally or personally, the ability to confidently and naturally meet and greet someone is an important skill. When you meet a client, a colleague, a friend for the first time, aim to create a rapport by showing interest in the other person – try asking a mixture of open and closed questions to show your interest.
Ease into a conversation by encouraging the other person to talk about themselves, then share your experience or response to the same question. When you ask questions to get to know someone, you must be sure to listen to the answers, and perhaps have a follow up question to ask.
The way you ask the question is also crucial – your body language and tone of voice will give you away if you are only going through the motions.
Below is a comprehensive compilation of conversation starting questions to get to know someone.
01“Where did you grow up?”
02“Where do you live now? Do you like it?”
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03“If you don’t live alone, who else do you live with?”
04“What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekend and why?”
05“What’s your favorite concert that you’ve ever been to?”
06“When it comes to TV, do you prefer to watch comedies or dramas?”
07“If money was not an issue, where would you vacation to?”
08“What’s the best place that you’ve ever been to?”
09“Do you prefer tea or coffee?”
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10“If you do like coffee, what’s your favorite way to drink it? Like iced, latte, cappuccino, etc…”