Initiating conversation with strangers

[BrunoPuntzJones]

"Hi, I'm astroidea and I would like to get to know you. Want to get a cup of coffee?"

I think you'd be surprised at how many "sure" or "ok"s you will get.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Mention the weather...but keep the sentence extremely short. Make eye contact but absolutely don't stare. A friendly smile helps but don't be cheesy. Look at what the other person is looking at after making initial eye contact.

I'm a journalist and a photographer, so I talk to strangers on a daily basis and am fairly good at it. My girlfriend even thinks it's funny how many people I end up talking to out on the street. It's easy once you get used to it

NO!!! NOT THE WEATHER!!!

I swear, one day I'm going to bring a map with me, and the next person that talks about the weather in the elevator I'm going to unroll the map, whip out a pointer, and give them a full weather forcast.

"It looks like we have a cold front coming in from the north, which will mix with the high pressure system we're enjoying to bring some showers for the weekend, high of 65...."

 

[ElFenix]

not at all. i'm ridiculously shy.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

NO!!! NOT THE WEATHER!!!

I swear, one day I'm going to bring a map with me, and the next person that talks about the weather in the elevator I'm going to unroll the map, whip out a pointer, and give them a full weather forcast.

"It looks like we have a cold front coming in from the north, which will mix with the high pressure system we're enjoying to bring some showers for the weekend, high of 65...."

That's why I said keep the sentence extremely short. Three to five words is more than enough to initiate a conversation. The weather is something that everyone notices and has in common.