Conversations can be hard to start if you are a full-time weirdo like me! Don’t worry, consider me a fairy godmother who is here to give you research-proven tips on how to start conversations with complete strangers like a new kid in class that seems cool to hang out with!

1.   Brain Teasers

Now, don’t use tough riddles that only Einstein brains can answer but instead have a more fun approach with riddles that have answers that seem too obvious but only when you know them already! Some examples are;

  You see a boat filled with people. You look again, but this time you don’t see a single person on a boat. Why?

  It starts with an e and ends with an e but there is only one letter in it. What is it?

2.   Repeat what they say

By this, I do not mean you start mimicking like a clown but instead try to reflect on what the other person said instead! For example, let’s apply the reflecting technique in this conversation:

A: Harry Potter movies are literally so cool! They make you feel magical.

B: Yes, Harry Potter movies do have a cool, magical feeling

Psychology has proven that people tend to be attracted to people with similar interests and feel a sense of victory when their opinions are agreed with.

3.   Talk generally about the place you both are in

If you are in a school, you can talk about any sport offered there or about the teachers. Similarly, in restaurants, your conversation can begin by discussing about discussing the special item on their menu

4.   Compliment something other than looks

Now, these boring, fake compliments like Your makeup looks so cool when all the other person has done is wash their hair is not likely to attract them. Everyone loves getting complimented but the real joy booms when people notice something not so obvious. For example, you are at a grocery store and you see a person getting vegetables. Now instead of complimenting their looks, you can talk about how wise they are to have healthy diet options.

5.   Magic Tricks

Dozens of YouTube tutorials can teach you simple tricks that can come in handy when you are trying to leave a positive impact? The conversation drags on as the person bugs you constantly on how were you possibly able to do that!

That was all for today and I hope that you can make some cool friends using these tricks!