A good conversation starter goes a long way in determining if the conversation will turn out great or not. The ability to start a conversation is a necessary skill to build and foster long-lasting relationships. Starting conversations with friends or colleagues will be different and somewhat easier than starting a conversation with a total stranger or someone you haven’t conversed with in a long time. Believe it or not, people find it hard to initiate a conversation due to a lot of known or unknown reasons.
No matter how challenging it has been for you, Livebeam has curated this list of 10 killer conversation starters that can pave the way for you the next time you’re stuck on how to start a conversation. And who knows, maybe you just might try it out on Livebeam sooner rather than later.
- Introduce yourself
This is a conventional and relevant way of starting a conversation online. Even though it’s not applicable in all scenarios, it’s only appropriate that you introduce yourself to a person you’re chatting with for the very first time. It’s a direct way of telling the person that you’re interested in having that conversation and you don’t want to remain a stranger. There are a lot of ways to introduce yourself at social events, work, or even online. Livebeam has a bunch of them for you as well.
Example: Hi, My name is Harold. I am the newest member of the HR team at Livebeam and I wanted to introduce myself.
- Ask them to talk about themselves
Naturally, people love talking about themselves. Prompting them to say something about themselves or what concerns them would immediately interest them. This is easily one of the best ways to get started on a conversation and also an effective way to maintain it. You can ask about their interests, family, or hobbies. There are various sites that offer easy questions you can use or reconstruct to make useful in your next conversation.
Example: What was the highlight of your week? What 3 words best describe you?
- Ask for their opinion
This shows how much you value them and their opinions. Let them know how much you’d like them to help in your decision-making process. You can do this by asking questions that make them tell you how they feel or what best you should go with. Be sure that the person is familiar with that subject matter and can give an honest and unfiltered opinion. Being in a community like that on Livebeam is a way to make this easier, as the people on the platform are willing to help. Receiving opinions helps to establish a stronger bond and proves to them that you take them seriously.
Example: On your page I saw you like fast-food. I’m at McDonald’s now but I don’t know what to get. What would you recommend?
- Talk about current trends
This is another great way of starting conversations and maintaining a great flow. It’s a great way of talking diversely while having fun at it. Make sure to ask what is current and obvious so that they can catch on easily and be on the same energy level as you. It’s best to avoid political or highly controversial topics. Topics relating to the weather, traveling, products, and other general topics would do.
Example: What do you think about this new product Nike is releasing next week?
- Tell a joke
This has proven to be one of the easiest ways to start and maintain a conversation. It sets a playful, friendly tone for the conversation and shows the other person just how fun you are. You can tell a joke or send a funny meme and wait to see their reaction. Jokes bring out the best in people because one way or the other, you’ve put a smile on their faces. It’s a bonus if you tell a joke surrounding your common interest with the other person. It could be a line from a movie you both love, a funny meme, or a picture you’re both familiar with. This will prove useful in helping to build a better relationship.
Example: It’s great to meet a fellow royalty like all of us on Livebeam.
- Show genuine interest
True, genuine conversations usually lead to healthy connections. When you initiate a conversation, ensure that you show how genuinely interested you are in hearing what the other person has to say. If you dig deep, you’ll most likely get a meaningful conversation or discover a new commonality. You can prove this by replying quickly, using the right emoji or memes to express how invested and genuine you are and other chatting accessories to be more expressive. Livebeam does its best to ensures that your conversations are seamless and as genuine as possible by providing its users with all the chatting tools listed above.
Example: Hello, I see from your description that you are a doctor. What is your area of specialization?
- Compliment them
Another great way of showing how interested you are in meeting new people is to compliment them. It shows that you paid a great deal of attention to them and you are interested in taking it a step further by starting that conversation with them. Use whatever you can see surrounding your chat to compliment them. It could be something on their display picture, their profile, etc. Keep it simple and charming.
Example: I like your display picture, you look great in yellow!
- Develop common ground
This also is a very good approach to starting conversations. Some chatting platforms like Livebeam have made it easier for their users to meet new people with similar interests. It shouldn’t be too hard to start a conversation with someone who also loves what you fancy. Using the preferences feature on Livebeam, you can search for people with similar interests and use it to spark a conversation.
Example: I’m also a dog lover. What is your best dog food recommendation?
- Keep your messages short
No matter how expressive you are, you should not start conversations with long paragraphs that can completely turn off and overwhelm the other person. Livebeam has a feature that suggests short phrases that are relevant to the chat. It saves you the trouble of thinking so hard about what you can use to start a conversation and provides you with the right phrase you can use to begin a conversation. If you decide to come up with your own, bear in mind that this is the “start” of a conversation and so, you might want to keep your messages short and straightforward. Let them know that you value their time and you want to have a meaningful conversation.
Example: I’m an undergraduate studying art, I love sports and drawing. How about you?
- Establish a connection
Livebeam makes it possible for streamers to interact in the comment section while streaming from their favorite content creators. You can use this opportunity to start a conversation with a person who you already share a fanbase with. It’s sometimes easier when you start a conversation based on an already-established connection. You can start a conversation by replying to their comment. It’s also not impossible that you establish a connection based on a mutual friend. This is also a quick way to begin conversations without a hassle.
Example: Remember me? My name is Jack, I met you at John’s stream 3 days ago.
Conclusion
There are a variety of ways to initiate a conversation. This list should serve as a guide for you, especially as a Livebeam user. You can use methods that suit you or combine any of the above-mentioned conversation starters that fit the situation.
When next you want to start a conversation, remember that you’re more likely to get a response using any of these methods than the simple “Hey or Hi”.
