Any good ideas what to talk about? (Details inside)

when this happens I just be myself however weird and awkward I might be. That’s how I know at least I’m not pretending to be anyone else. This may not be a good idea for job interviews or maybe even dating sometimes. But I find it sure gets you genuine friends.

I don’t know, this probably isn’t the answer you’re looking for but it works for me.

This is a great question. Here are my suggestions:

1. Read up on things that interest you. Can be anything from fashion, to politics, to medical discoveries, environmental interests, food, anything. Also, generally having some knowledge of current eents, what is being talked about most in the news is always a possibility for conversation. The more you know the more you will be able to start a conversation, and the more you will be able to be part of other conversations. You don’t need to be an expert, being interested in what someone else is talking about, and having some basic knowledge is all you need to ask them questions about what they know.

2. Know your audience. If youf friends aren’t into politics, probably best to avoid that topic, because it will fall dead fast. Learn what they are interested in, and learn a little about it yourself. Don’t bend yourself inside out learning or talking about something you have no interest in, but maybe there is at least a few things you are all interested in.

3. Be yourself, meet lots of people, and you will start to form close friendships with people who are interested in similar things.

@queenie This jelly is not sure about the difference between “going in chat” and what we do here on Fluther when we post something and then the next person posts something and so on.

I know what IM’ing is, but is “going in chat” something completely different? Sorry for my ignorance. Maybe you can explain it better to me. And then you can use the fact that one of your ignorant friends didn’t know the difference as a topic when you do go “into chat”

Thanks (once again, sorry for being technologically behind the times) After you explain it to me, then I’ll post some topics. : )

Well, over here someone actually chooses a topic, or what to talk about when they post a question, hence stating what the question is about. In chat you don’t go there to talk about or discuss a particular thing, you just go there to see who’s in and try to figure out what to talk about.
if that makes sense.

Ooh, ask Would You Rather type questions! Those are great to get conversation going, and they’re just plain fun.

@Kardamom Fluther has chatrooms. Up along the top of the screen there is a link that says “chat”. If you click on that, it takes you to a list of rooms. Pick a room and you are in a chat room. It’s similar to IMs, but it’s all in one room and anyone in the room can see what you say.

When I run out of things to say, I just sit and see what else is going on for a bit.

Do a google search for “conversation starters”. There are lots of websites. Have a few as standbys.

http://www.saviodsilva.org/

@queenie Oh, OK, so it’s more open ended.

My favorite topic is always FOOD so with that theme in mind here’s some topics.

You could ask about where’s the best place to get a great burger, or an awesome pizza or some really terrific Thai food.

Or you could ask people to post their favorite recipe for chili or mac and cheese or lasagna.

Or you could ask people if their town has any good microbreweries.

Or if Guy Fieri (from Diners Drive Ins and Dives) has ever reviewed a restaurant in their town.

Or what’s your favorite Food Network or Cooking Channel show.

Or what’s your favorite holiday food that your grandma always made when you were little.

Or what’s your new favorite go-to vegetable and what kinds of creative ways have you prepared it.

Or what kinds of great things have you recently got at the local farmer’s market.

Or how many cookbooks do you have and which ones are your favorites.

Or are you a good cook or do you rely on restaurants to feed yourself.

Or what is your go-to dish for attending a potluck.

Or what’s your favorite kitchen gadgets.

Or do you have any foods that remind you of specific movies or songs and why.

Or what kind of food would you have a difficult time giving up.

Or what is a meal or dish that you have been dying to try, but don’t have the time or the money to fix it or go out and get it.

Or if you were to describe yourself as a fruit or a vegetable, which one would it be and why.

Or what do you think are some of the main causes for the obesity problem in your country and what do you think can be done about it to solve the problem.

Or are you a vegetarian.

Or what’s the best thing you ever ate and where did you get it.

@Kardamom: I always knew I loved you but now I get why I really love you!! A woman after my own heart :-)

I second the idea about what’s going on in the world… not just politics but studies, findings, local news events. I’ve started reading Time magazine and it’s really awesome because there are lots of short blurbs on things (current events around the world, in short, or scientific findings, etc…). Since I’ve started reading these recently, I feel like I know what’s going on in the world and have found that I can talk about it with friends or when I’m on dates. Stuff like this is good because it’s short and easy to understand… I often find some of those magazines a little too pretentious and confusing, or too lengthy to care.

An hour? Jaysus, I should be getting advice from you!

It helps to be old enough so that you’ve already seen most of everything that can happen, so that everything you hear about or see nowadays gives rise to, “That reminds me of something that happened [to me; to my cousin; to a guy I knew once; to a friend of my sister; etc.] ” and launch from there.

It also helps to be fairly well read, so that, for example, when the topic of helicopter maintenance is broached (and why should it not be?) you can mention that you read once that a helicopter is “a flying machine essentially held together by four bolts, trying to shake itself apart” (if you had read that somewhere, as I had… and now you have!).

The best part of having a conversation, though, and the part that screws it up for far too many people (myself included, when I forget), that usually around half of the conversation involves listening to and processing what the other correspondents say, and not just thinking up your own clever things to say. So if you simply ask questions to clarify what the other person has said and let them tell you everything that they know (or think, believe, or wish to be true), then you’ll be thought of as a brilliant conversationalist.

Music. Ask me anything. What I don’t know firsthand I google fast. I wish your generation knew more about the 60’s and 70’s and even the great 30’s-50’s.

Akon is cute – but music is Dylan, Beatles and Stones. The King and the other Elvis – and so much more.

Football sex & beer!! Oh wait, I thought you said in the tw@ room! That’ll be for just me & the lads then :¬)

Thanks guys ; D Will deffo try these out. Mwah!

Rape, for some strange reason, seems to be a big theme in chat. ~