Conversation Starters

A new semester begins, new students enter our classes, and returning colleagues greet us. What can talk about that will go beyond the work-related activities? Books. Teachers, especially English teachers, love to talk about their summer reading. Reading remains a cheap pleasure and an excellent conversation starter. * Can you recommend a good book? * What did you this summer? * What are reading these days - besides student papers? Books and ideas still matter in our 21st century global...Read Full Story

As an HR director of a Fortune 500 company working in China for almost seven years, I am daily  both angered and amused by the hundreds of local Chinese job applicants who will resort to almost anything to get their foot in the door of an international company like ours.  Although I give them high marks for their creativity, 90% of the applications received are not worth the paper they are written on. Why do so many Chinese citizens  want to work for an American, Canadian, U.K. or Australian...Read Full Story

Start A Conversation On A First Date First Date Coversation Topics Before you spend hours getting ready and head out the door on your first date, you may want to brush up on these First Date Conversation Starters, to enhance your chances of a successful “first time”! For most Baby Boomers, hitting the dating scene can be a little nerve racking, if not a nail-biting event. The first thing, for you to remember:  dating to suppose to fun, exciting and interesting. Dating is all about finding...Read Full Story

What pleasantly surprised you today? This question often causes people to pause, reflect, and change their dialogue. It gives us a chance to remember some moments of satisfaction, and reminds us that almost every day provides some unexpected moments. “What surprised you today” works too. But I prefer adding the “pleasantly” to counter dialogues that can run to the negative. This positive question opens up room in a conversation for people to express gratitude for what has gone right - even...Read Full Story

You see a girl or a guy in a bar and you'd love to strike up a conversation...but how to get things started??Here are a few do's and don'ts when it comes to making that first impression and trying to get an engaging conversation started:Do's:Stay calm, cool, and collected - - don't get all jittery on us!Ask questions and LISTEN.Be yourself.  Talk about your interests instead of your work or your ex-boyfriends!Have some fun with it.Don'ts:Don't get all cheesey with lines like; "Excuse me, but...Read Full Story

When you meet someone the very first time, you want to strike a conversation with them. But, you wonder what the right things to talk about are? This could even be a predicament on a first date. You need to strike up a conversation in order to make the opposite person find you interesting. Once you strike up a conversation, you need to keep it going too. The topics that you select for the conversation will go a long way in ensuring that the person finds you interesting. This will make them...Read Full Story

A new semester begins, new students enter our classes, and returning colleagues greet us. What can talk about that will go beyond the work-related activities? Books. Teachers, especially English teachers, love to talk about their summer reading. Reading remains a cheap pleasure and an excellent conversation starter. * Can you recommend a good book? * What did you this summer? * What are reading these days – besides student papers? Books and ideas still matter in our 21st century global...Read Full Story

During the last hectic week of international travel and professional development presentations, I’ve been heard a few simple questions over and over. Are you ready? Are you prepared? Aren’t you nervous? Do you have enough time to do that? When are you going to sleep? Friends - and close relatives - ask these questions out of concern and curiosity.  I appreciate their questions and enjoy our discussions.  My confidence can lead me to underestimate the difficulty of  projects, tasks, and...Read Full Story

How to Speak Indonesian By: IndonesianLanguage.net Before you learn Indonesian grammar or vocabularies, it is essential that you learn how to speak Indonesian first. Each language has its own system of sounds which is unlike that of any other language. When you begin to learn a new language, you must learn to make distinctions which are not made in your own language, and you must learn to articulate in a way different from that to which you are accustomed. Correct pronunciation and the...Read Full Story

Are you romantically involved? Do you match your partner? How do you know? Who will you choose to share your life with? Are you considering marriage? Are you already married? Use these questions as a springboard to reflect on your options, choices, and desires on this Valentine’s Day. Here is chapter #33 from Compelling Conversations that many friends have told me is better for native speakers than English language learners or ESL classrooms. Perhaps they are right. On the other hand, I’ve...Read Full Story