How to Start a Conversation

Imagine this scenario: you are at a party, and you want to talk to someone. Anyone. But you have no idea how to start a conversation. What would you do?

Well, I just gave you a hint. You would give them a scenario.

What does that mean? Basically, you would walk up to someone, ask for their attention, and give them a hypothetical situation they might find themselves in. And then see what their answer is.

Now, it takes a little more than just that. You'll want to have it at least worked out before hand what the scenario will be. But it has worked for me, time and time again, without me even realizing it, until recently.

To make sure conversation really does ensue, you should have some hidden meaning behind it all. For example, I like to use this one.

Imagine you have a gem worth a billion dollars. You want to put it in a bank to keep it safe and to gain interest, so you look at your options. When you look up banks online, you find a high-profile bank, just waiting for you to click on the link. You do, and there is a virtual tour of a bank, to your surprise. You check it out.

On the outside of the bank, you see a sign that says "This is a no robbery zone. All violators will be prosecuted." Already a warning about robbery? Fantastic!

However, as the tour heads inside, you notice that there are no security cameras, and as you make your way to the vault, you find that there is no lock on the vault door, and each safety deposit box is labeled with what's inside. And there are no cameras in the vault, either.

Feeling sure the bank must have missed something, you read the "About This Bank" page. You learn that the bank only occasionally has security guards about once a year, and there really are no security cameras, and there is no lock on the vault door, no locks on the safety deposit boxes, and all the boxes are labeled with what's inside.

Oh, and by the way, this bank isn't insured, and if your gem was stolen, the bank would not pay you.

Would you put your gem in that bank?

It shouldn't take you any more than two seconds. No, of course not! You would look for other options.

Sadly, however, this is the exact state of our public school system. And what's worse is that human life is irreplaceable, unlike the billion dollar gem you had.

And that usually gets me into a conversation about gun control, even with the strictest introverts.

This strategy works. Find a topic you care about, and turn it into a hypothetical scenario. It's a lot of fun, and it's sure to either get you in a debate (be prepared) or a conversation. 

Or, if they really don't care about the world around them (who cares about being informed, anyways?), they will reject you. But I've never gotten that. I can tell when someone would never care. Just walk up to people who you think would care.

Try it. It works. It's fun. Did I mention it works?

Thank you for your time.