2020 was tough for all of us. It forced us to find company in ourselves and that was hard. Now here we are a year later, things are opeing back up and can't remember how to be "normal" in a crowd! It's ok, it's happening to a lot of us! So here are some tips on how to make conversation.
To start, try being the host, not the guest.
- You know how sometimes you’re just sitting there waiting for someone to break the ice? Well, when everyone else is doing the same thing, it’s going to be awkward and quiet… Sometimes you’ve got to take the lead and throw out some topics.
Next, explore your mutual shared reality.
-If you really want people to start opening up, make the conversation hop on the struggle-bus. Talk about your shortcomings during this past year and invite everyone else to share theirs. For example, “I don’t know about y’all but I have enough Amazon boxes to create the greatest fort man has ever seen.”
Also, when in doubt, Ask Questions.
-It’s cool to be a listener if you’re not ready to be a talker yet. Ask some open-ended questions and let other people do the heavy lifting in the conversation. Surely the folks you’ll be hanging out with at least attempted one new hobby during lockdown they want to chew your ear off about.
Find more conversation tips HERE.