Woman to Woman

1,000 Conversation Starters for Talking about Anything

Kim Chamberlain

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781626364264
• eBook ISBN: 9781628738896
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Business Communication

Women'sconversations can cover a wide range of topics and may include much in the wayof intelligent observations on life's complexities, entertaining observations, anda sharing of innermost thoughts. While conversation in mixed companycan range along the same lines, there are many subjects thatwomen feel morecomfortable discussing among themselves in a mutually encouraging and supportiveenvironment. However, getting the ball rolling is oftendifficult even among women when thetopic is personal, controversial, or embarrassing. A Woman's Guide to Talking About Anything to Anyone providesa broad and stimulating range of conversation openers that give women theopportunity to havestimulating and enlightening sessions in ways that lead to expanding the boundaries of knowledge and buildinglasting relationships. The thought-provokingand insightful starters include such topics as: - family matters,
- sex andlove,
- the business world at all levels
- local, national, and internationalpolitics
- hobbies and interests
- health issues
- personal and family finances
- education Writtenby an award-winning communications expert, the book also offers a host of speaking tips and techniques to help women of all ages develop andenhance theirconversation skills in terms of organizing thoughts and responses, appropriate modes of expression, and developing listening skills.

l,OOO QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATION STARTERS

This section contains one hundred different topic sections, each containing ten conversation starters. It begins with “Easy Conversation Starters,” which are simple starters that can be used in general situations, followed by the remaining ninety-nine sections in alphabetical order.

Incorporated throughout the starters are tips and techniques for improved conversation skills. Those covering tips for questions have a (Q) before them; those covering tips for answers have an (A) before them; and those covering general conversation tips have a (G) before them.

At the end is a section where you can list your favorite starters and include any of your own.

Easy conversation starters	Books
About you	Business
Advice	Business Partnerships
Age	Career
Animals	Childhood
Anything and everything	Children
Beauty	Comfort Zone
Beliefs	Communication
Confidence	Money
Conflict	Movies
Coping strategies	Music
Creativity	Names and numbers
Dating	Other women
Do you like . . . ?	Paranormal
Dreams and hopes	Personality
Education	Physical appearance
Either/Or	Pleasure
Emotions	Politics
Entertainment	Possessions
Family and family life	Pregnancy
Fashion, clothes and makeup	Previous relationships
Fears	Problems
Flirting	Quotes about Women
Food and drink	Quotes by Women
Friendships	Reactions
Fun	Relationships
Health	Romance
Hobbies and interests	School
House and home	Secrets
In my wildest dreams!	Sex
International Issues	Shopping
Irritations	Situations
Is it appropriate . . . ?	Spiritual
It’s the Little Things	Star Signs
Leaving this World	Stay at Home Mom
Let’s guess!	Stories
Love	Strangers
Marriage	Stress
Meeting with Friends	Support
Men	Technology
Mixed bag	Teenage years
Temptation	What would you do if . . . ?
The Common Good	Wisdom
The future	Women Achievers
Time	Women and work
Treating yourself	Women Who . . .
Truth and Lies	Work-life balance
Understanding Behavior	Worrying
Vacations and travel	Your call!
Weird and wonderful

Plus . . . Your Favorites & Your Starters

Easy Conversation Starters

You may need to amend these starters to fit the situation.

• The weather’s great / terrible / unusual at the moment, isn’t it?
• Are you from this area?
• Have you got family around here?
• Do you work?
• Are you planning a vacation this year?

(Q) Start a conversation with easy questions

This technique is especially good to use with people you don’t know well. Easy questions are the kind of general questions that anyone can answer. They are ones of a general nature that don’t require any specific knowledge and are “non-threatening” topics that don’t delve into personal details or cover contentious issues. They fall into the “Level One, Small Talk” level of conversation (page 7).

Example

Topic: Easy conversation starters

Starter: The weather’s very unusual for this time of year, isn’t it?

• I like your outfit / necklace / scarf . . . where did you get it?
• How was your Christmas / Thanksgiving / Easter break / weekend?
• Did you see the Super Bowl / the news on TV today / the final episode of . . . ?
• Have you been here / to this type of meeting / to Poppy’s house . . . before?
• How do you know Rachel / Carol / name of host or mutual friend . . . ?

(Q) Talk about the environment

When beginning a conversation, particularly with someone you don’t have much conversation history to call on, talking about an aspect of the environment you’re in is a good starting point. You could talk about the type of event you’re at, the building you’re in, the scenery, the speaker, the people, the food, the music . . .

Example

Topic: Easy Conversation Starters

Starter:Have you been to one of Jackie’s parties before?

About you

• Do you have any brothers and sisters?
• Do you remember people’s birthdays?
• How would you finish this sentence: People say I’m good at . . .
• Which three adjectives would best describe you?
• Do you tend to avoid letting people know that you’re good at something and hide your light under a bushel, or does modesty play no part and you sing about it from the hilltops?

(Q) Many people like to talk about themselves!

People generally find it easy to talk about themselves, so a simple fact-finding question is a good topic to start with. We all like to feel that someone is interested in us. Always follow up with more questions about them, and avoid turning the conversation back to yourself instantly.

Example

Topic: About You

Starter:Do you have brothers and sisters?

• Have you ever done something silly that you regretted?
• What couldn’t you live without?
• Do you like your name?
• Have you had a traditional or a non-traditional life so far?
• Have you ever faced an obstacle in your life and overcome it?

(Q) Open vs. closed questions (1)

A closed question can lend itself to a one-word or short answer. Closed questions are okay to use some of the time, though don’t use them too much.

Example

Topic: About You

Starter:Do you like your name?

The other person could answer, for example,“Yes,” “No,” or “Sort of.”

If you know that the person is prone to regularly giving short answers, try amending the question to be more open, for example “What do you think about your name? Or be ready to follow up a short answer with an open question, such as “Were you named after someone?”

Advice

What advice would you give in these scenarios?

• Your mom is sixty-five and wants to do a university degree, purely for interest’s sake. It will mean that she has to spend most of her savings to be able to fund it. She’s eager, but you’re not so sure, as your family has a history of living to a great age.
• Your friend is in her fifties, and her face is starting to show the signs of aging. She isn’t happy about getting older and is wondering if she should get a facelift.
• Your sixteen year old son wants to learn to ride a motorcycle. You have the finances to pay for lessons for him, but are worried about the safety issues involved.

(Q) Let people answer. It’s okay to have silence for a while

Once you’ve asked a question, give the other person time to think. Not everyone can give an answer straight away, and you don’t need to fill in the silence. People are more likely give a well-thought out answer if they know you are going to give them thinking time and not rush them to respond.

• Your friend’s hobby is ballroom dancing, which she loves. However it takes up a large amount of her time and there is a lot of traveling involved. She finds it a struggle to also cope with a full-time, demanding job, and doesn’t feel she can handle both for much longer.
• Your friend has always said that she wouldn’t marry, but would happily live with someone. The partner she has been living with for three years has asked her to marry him. She loves him and wants to stay with him but doesn’t see the point of getting married. He is feeling hurt about this.
• Your mom has been widowed for five years and is still young at heart. Your sister would like her to consider dating but your mom is a bit shy and unsure if she could...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Using the book
• Speaking skills
• 1,000 Questions and Conversation Starters