![]() ![]() I have had so many doors opened to discuss faith and life with people from vastly different backgrounds. This is why this is a non-typical conversation starter-because most people avoid it for fear of attack. You may not share root beliefs, you may not relate to theirs, etc., but it is an excellent subject to bring up if you can maintain curiosity and encouragement to learn about the person across the table versus intentions to prove them and their belief systems wrong. So I realize that conversations often to be avoided are politics and religion. You may need extra dessert if that’s the case. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll discover you’re related to just about every American dissenter and traitor in the early American history books. Your family may surprise you with some of your own unknown relatives. You’ll discover your acquaintances have roots from all over the world. “Tell me about the most famous person in your family tree?" Have you ever done a DNA test to find out your ancestry, or do you have family legacies of famous relations?” “So, I’m always interested in people’s histories. Even if your cohort at dinner hasn’t had a DNA test, odds are they have family stories as to what famous person is in their family tree. ![]() But in reality, so many enter into the DNA test merely to find out the origins of where they’re from or who they’re from. Perhaps because it can be associated with DNA which then implies medical history, it seems too private. This is a remarkably popular topic, but oddly, it isn’t often brought up in conversation. A non-reader will probably quirk an eyebrow and very possibly respond with an “I don’t read.” Don’t let that stop you! A good follow-up to this is, “Oh? Tell me why you’re not interested in literature?” There are always unique answers to that question that can quickly spawn off into other avenues of interest to discuss. Of course, if you start the conversation with a close-ended question like, “do you read?” the conversation may shut down before it begins, especially if the others at the table respond with a vehement “no.” Try using an open-ended question and give room for all types of reader responses.Īn avid reader will be all over this conversation like a bee to honey. Even the non-literary bent individual will have an opinion on the written word. Not everyone is a reader, but pretty much everyone has read. Whether it’s your family, friends, acquaintances, or strangers, try out some of these conversation starters when you’re looking for something that isn’t as run of the mill as the most recent snowstorm and rainstorm. But creative or non-typical conversation starters can make for a much more interesting and potentially memorable dinner conversation. Where do you work? Where did you grow up? How’s the weather? And so on. Typical conversation starters are easy to come by, even if you’re only 5% creative. That was memorable not so much for the company it inspired, but the sheer terror of the upcoming Lent season. With the exception of the time a business acquaintance and I discussed the idea of giving up bread for Lent. I’ve spent hours of my career conversing with pseudo-strangers at work dinners and I can’t really pinpoint one conversation that was worth remembering. Conversation can sometimes be difficult, and often it feels manufactured, or shallow, or even pointless. Or maybe, it’s not family at all that’s the problem. Are you one of those families that finds sitting down for a meal together awkward enough as it is, but throw in making conversation, and you’ve met your own proverbial Mt. ![]()
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