CONVERSATIONAL OPENERS

If you want to strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know, perhaps at a social function, the best starting point is to talk about their number one subject, them. Your first question should not be too open that they don’t know where to start, nor too closed that you don’t get much free information in their reply. A good format to use is the statement- plus-question format, as in “You look new here. Can I help you?”