Conversations [with strangers]

Be casual
Catch their eye
Say something!!! (It doesn't matter a whole lot what you say to get the conversation started. It's more about how you say it. If you can deliver the best opening line in the world with confidence, go for it!

• If not, stick to something more basic, such as "Hi, my name's Mark," and offer to shake hands.)

Start basic. Talk about how you ended up at the party, and ask them how they came to be there, too.

• If the weather is remarkable, remark on it, but don't dwell. Weather conversations are generally short, boring, and indicate that you don't have much to say.

Find out what interests the other party. What sports and hobbies do they enjoy? What classes are they taking, and what's the end result? (Degree, job, etc.)
Listen
Let the other person ask about you. Volunteer things like your name, and anything that's a good conversation starter such as "Hi, my name's Penny. I'd offer to shake your hand, but I broke my arm while rock climbing last weekend."

• If there's something you happen to share with the other person—a sport, a love of food, a favorite political candidate, by all means, share. The goal is not to be silent, just do not introduce yourself to somebody for the sole purpose of talking about yourself.

• If the person you want to talk to doesn't seem like they're interested in talking back, then don't force it. It could be that they're just having a terrible day, or it could mean they just don't want to chat with you.

Avoid the usual boring comments such as, "Lovely day!", or, "Look at the traffic!" Try to start the conversation in an interesting way. Something like, "Did you see that football game on the weekend-a good one, huh?" or, "Cool watch, where'd you get it?" Are much better than the ordinary conversation starters. Try to say something that will most likely start a long and lively conversation. For example, if the watch the cab driver's wearing is an amazingly expensive and dazzling one, asking where they got it and what brand it is would probably provoke a longer conversation than commenting on the weather. Obviously if there's a hurricane going on outside, or an extremely heavy storm, it would be appropriate to mention this

Ask questions that encourage people to talk.
Avoid asking questions that require one-word replies.
Follow-up with "Why?" or "How?" 


Opening: What would you like to talk about today?
What’s on your mind?
Where would you like to start?
What have you been thinking about since we last talked?

Alternatives: What are the possibilities?
If you had your choice, what would you do?
What are the possible solutions?
What if you do and what if you don’t?
What could you do differently?

Appraisal: How do you feel about it?
How does it look to you?
What do you make of it all?
What do you think is best?
What is your basic concern?

Background: What led up to ____________?
What have you tried so far?
How did it happen?
Fill me in on the background.

Clarification: What if this doesn’t make sense to you?
What seems to confuse you?
Please explain what you mean by_________?
What do you make of it all?

Description: What was it like?
Tell me about it?
What happened?
Please describe it in your own words?

Evaluation: In what way?
How is the good or bad or in between?
According to your own standards, how does it look?
How would you evaluate all of this?

Exploration: How about going into that a little deeper?
Let’s explore that some more.
What other angles you can think of?
What were your reactions to these things?

Examples: Give me an illustration?
Give me an example?
For instance?
Like what?

Perspective: What are your ultimate objectives?
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Where will this lead?
How does this relate to your other problems and successes?
Where did this come from?

Planning: How do you suppose you could improve the situation?
What do you plan to do about it?
What could you do in a case like this?
What plans will you need to make?
What plans have you thought about?
Who could help you with your plans?

Predictions: How do you suppose it will all work out?
Where will this lead?
What if you do or what if you don’t?
What are the chances of success?
How would you like it to work out?

Reasons: How is it that you feel that way?
How do you account for this?
What reasons have you come up with?
What is the logical solution to this?
What makes sense to you?

Relation: How does this fit in with your plans?
How would you describe our discussion to someone else?
Please review for me.
What do you think this all amounts to?

Taking Action: What are you going to do about it?
Where do you go from here?
What are your next steps?
How do you plan to start?

Other: What can you do differently?
How could you do that differently?
If you had a “magic wish,” what would be different?
What would you be doing differently?

Why Questions: Be careful of “why” questions as they can lead to blame or perceived 
accusations.
How did that come about? Or How did that happened” are more effective than
“why” questions.
Avoid Closed Ended Questions: Did you…? Are you…? Will you…?


Coming up with new conversation topics

Watch the world around you, and look for things that interest you. A broad vision of life will expand the subjects you will enjoy talking about.

Look for new friends in different walks of life or different backgrounds. Their perspectives, philosophies, and ideas may be interesting topics of conversation.

Listen to the people you talk with, and if they have unique interests, learn more about them.

Develop hobbies and look for clubs or organizations that support them. This will be a unique ground to learn and share ideas and thoughts as your knowledge grows.

Consider what you might have in common with this personDo you like the same music? Talk about your bands. Don't know what music they like? Ask them! Having stuff in common is the reason most people become friends.

Search for new perspectives in your own interests, and keep current on the leading edge of discoveries in those areas. When Pluto was declared a non-planet some months ago, you can be sure it was a hot topic in the astronomical community, but people on the streets were talking about it too.

Talk about food.

Study the reaction of people you normally talk with when you try to bring up new topics.



http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Talking-About-the-Same-Old-Things
http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-have-improve-my-conversation-skills
http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Conversation-with-a-Stranger