How to Quickly and Easily Talk to Strangers by Andrea Waltz

You know that awkward moment at a party or networking group when you meet someone and then you both stand there not knowing what to say next? It’s happened to us all. But it doesn’t have to. If you can teach yourself to tap into the power of questions you will never be faced with uncomfortable silences either at a party or a business event of any kind.  How? Continue...



Questions are the answer!  But the next question is, how do you become skilled at asking questions?
The singular best way is to memorize and use just one or two “go-to” questions that are your favorites and that you can use in 99.9% of situations.  Here are mine:

My favorite question with a stranger is, “Where are you from?”
My next favorite question is, “Have you been to (the conference/restaurant/meeting) before?”
And my next favorite… oh actually I don’t have a next favorite because I can assure you that you don’t need to have another planned. The conversation and your questions can flow directly from what you learn from these questions.

As Dale Carnegie said in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” How do you talk to strangers quickly and easily? Turn them into friends. And there is only one way to do this! Ask questions!
What are your favorites? Let me know.
Comments? Please let me know your thoughts. And if you liked this post, please share! – AW