How to talk to strangers easily

Are you looking to engage in conversations with anyone and make new friends? Or maybe you want to be the cool guy like your neighbor who can easily talk to anyone?

In this article, I will share 25 ways that you can use to start a conversation with anyone.

I always wondered how some people could talk to anyone and make friends. I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to make new friends. So, I started researching how to talk to anyone. After researching and applying those technics to my day-to-day talk with strangers, I found the 25 best ways to talk to anyone.

How to start a conversation with a stranger

The most difficult part for many of you is to start a conversation. And it was the most difficult part for me too.

This is because of the fear of rejection. Whenever you try to start a conversation with a stranger, you feel like what if they will not talk back to me? Or what will they think of me?

Let me clear it for you, The worst thing that can happen is they will not talk back to you. And that’s alright. They were not talking to you and they are not talking to you now as well. That’s normal, move on. It happened to me a lot of times.

Just say the word you want to say. For example, if you want to say hello then say it. You have to initiate the conversation. There’s no way around it.

Here are some ways to initiate the conversation - 

• Hi
• Hello
• Excuse me
• Do you mind if I ask you a quick question?

A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.

- William Butler Yeats

One important thing to remember is to have a goal in mind before starting the conversation.

With that said, now let’s move on to the next topic.

25 best ways to Talk to Strangers

Here are the 25 best ways you can start a conversation with anyone -

1. Give a compliment - If you notice something worth complimenting, then give a genuine compliment about it. Giving a compliment is the best icebreaker before starting a conversation.
2. Ask an opinion - You can start by asking an opinion, It can be anything related to the location or current event.
3. Offer help - Many times you will find people who need help, especially elderly people. Don’t just stand there, go and help them. While helping them you can start a conversation, like where you live, what’s the best place to visit, etc.
4. Comment on common things - You can start a conversation by commenting on something that you both have in common, This strategy best works when you are at an event or traveling with other travelers or something like that.
5. Share something funny or interesting - It can be anything, as long as it doesn’t offend the other person.
6. Ask for a recommendation - Start your conversation by asking for a recommendation, Which one is the best restaurant in the area or Which book should I read next.
7. Start with a Greeting - You can start with a simple “Hello, my name is Govind. What’s yours?” or a “Hi, I like Anime. Do you like anime?”.
8. Mention something positive - Mentioning something positive is also a good way to start the conversation. Like, the weather’s nice today.
9.  Ask about their hobbies or interests - People love to talk about their selves. Once given the opportunity they will talk to you. For example, “What’s your favorite sport?”
10. Talk about a movie or show - You can talk about a recent TV show or a movie you watched and ask them if they have seen it.
11. Talk about a shared experience or situation -  If you both had a shared experience or are in the same situation, then it’s a great opportunity to start a conversation. Like, “It was an exciting roller coaster ride.”
12. Ask for directions - Ask for directions, (Wait, you saying you already know your way) Even if you know where you are and where you are going as for a direction to start a conversation.
13. Talk about a headline -  You can start a conversation by talking about a news article or a headline.
14. Ask about their favorite travel destination - You can ask What’s their favorite travel destination.
15. Talk about your hobby - You can talk about your hobby or activity and ask them if they have any interests in it.
16. Simple and say Hi - Smile and say Hi, then ask something, like “Hi, I'm new here, Mind if I join you?”
17. Ask about their profession - You might have seen a lot of YouTubers do this. Simply ask about what they do for a living.
18. Compliment their taste in music - If someone he walking with earbuds or headphones, You ask about what they are listening to and then compliment them. For example, “Hey, Do you mind if I ask what you are hearing?” and then “Wow, I like this song too.”
19. Ask about their favorite hidden gems - Many people have secret hobbies or interests and they want to tell someone about it, The problem is no one asked them. So, be the first guy and ask if they have any secret hobbies people don’t know about.
20. Ask about their favorite audiobook or podcasts - You can ask if they listen to podcasts or audiobooks and then ask about their favorite podcasts or audiobooks.
21. Ask about their favorite exercise - If you are in a gym or someone looks athletic, you start a conversation by asking them about their favorite exercise.
22. Ask for a recommendation about something you want to try - You can ask people about something you want to try and if they have any recommendations on it. Like a new hobby or activity.
23. Talk about their pets - Believe it or not, many people love to talk about their pets. If you see a person walking with their pet or a picture of a pet on their phone (Don’t force yourself to see the picture, give some privacy) then talk about it. Like, “So Cute! What’s his name?”
24. Ask about favorite movies or genres - This is the oldest trick in the book, and it still works. Just ask “What’s your favorite movie?”
25. Ask for the cooking recipe - I use this one often. You can ask this one to someone interested in cooking. For example, “Hi, I want to learn new recipes local to this place, Can you teach me some?”

You should remember to be nice to other people even if they are a little bit aggressive in talking. Also, don’t just hear what they are saying, try to understand what they want to say and continue your conversation with their answer.

Once you are in a conversation, you should ask open-ended questions to continue the conversation. Here is a guide on How to ask open-ended questions

Conclusion

While it is hard to start a conversation with anyone, it is also important that you have to start it. There is no way around it. You have to get out of your fear of rejection.

No one is perfect, you have to improve yourself. Practice these tecnics and you will be able to talk to strangers easily.