Conversation starters
Questions that invite a story instead of a one word answer. Use them to start conversations, or practice answering them yourself.
A little surprise. A minute to speak.
Pull the lever to find your next topic.
Make a point, give an example, and bring it back to your point.
Practicing without a recording
How to answer: Past, present, future
For personal questions and open prompts.
- 1Past. Where you started or a moment that shaped it.
- 2Present. Where you are now.
- 3Future. What you want next, and why.
Pull the lever first, then see how a strong answer could sound.
How to use conversation starters
A good conversation starter is an open question about the other person, with room for a story.
Ask questions with a story inside
"Where are you from?" gets a one word answer. "What's something about your hometown people get wrong?" gets a story. The starters here are written to open conversations rather than close them.
Follow up on details instead of moving to the next question. If someone mentions a trip, ask what surprised them about it. Two good follow-ups beat ten new questions.
Practice your own answers
Use the stage to answer these yourself, out loud, in under a minute. It's practice for small talk, networking and first dates, where having a few stories ready makes you more relaxed and more interesting.
All 48 conversation starters
Easy21
- What's the best thing that happened to you this week?
- If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?
- What did you want to be when you were a kid?
- What's a small thing that makes your day better?
- What's a book or show you recommend to everyone?
- What's the most interesting place you've visited?
- What's a habit you're trying to build right now?
- What's your favorite way to spend a free Saturday?
- What's the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
- If you had an extra hour every day, how would you use it?
- What's something you're looking forward to this month?
- What's an underrated city or town you love?
- What's the best meal you've ever had?
- What's the most useful thing you learned at school?
- What would your perfect day look like from start to finish?
- Which app could you not live without, and which would you delete?
- What's the most memorable concert or event you've been to?
- What's a trend you don't understand at all?
- What would you do with a month off and no budget limit?
- What's your go-to way to recharge after a long week?
- What's a simple thing that always makes a room better?
Medium22
- What's something you've changed your mind about recently?
- What's a skill you'd love to learn and why haven't you yet?
- What's the best advice you've ever been given?
- What's something most people don't know about you?
- Who has had the biggest influence on how you work?
- What's a hill you're willing to die on?
- What's a tradition from your family you want to keep?
- What's the hardest thing you've ever learned?
- What job would you do if money didn't matter?
- What's a popular opinion you disagree with?
- What's something you're proud of that nobody asks about?
- What's a risk you're glad you took?
- What's something you used to love and stopped doing?
- What does a good friend do that others don't?
- If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?
- What's something you'd teach everyone if you could?
- Where do you get your best ideas?
- What's the kindest thing a stranger has done for you?
- What's a piece of technology you think we'll laugh at in ten years?
- What's a goal you set this year that you're still working on?
- Who's someone you admire but have never met?
- What's a small change that made a big difference for you?
Hard5
- What's a decision that changed the direction of your life?
- What's a question you wish people asked you more often?
- What's a mistake that taught you more than a success?
- What's something you believe that you can't fully explain?
- Which year of your life would you relive, and why?
Questions
What are good conversation starters?
Open questions that invite a story, like what someone's looking forward to this month or the best advice they've received.
How do I keep a conversation going?
Ask a follow-up about something specific they said, share a short related story of your own, then ask another follow-up.
How can I practice small talk alone?
Answer conversation starters out loud with a one minute timer. It builds a set of short stories you can use when the question comes up for real.
More speech topics
Persuasive speech topics
- Schools should start an hour later.
- Every student should learn to cook before graduating.
- Homework should be optional in elementary school.
Informative speech topics
- How to make a great cup of coffee.
- How bees make honey.
- Why we dream.
Impromptu speech topics
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
Debate topics
- Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
- Are cats better pets than dogs?
- Is it better to save money or spend it on experiences?
Table Topics questions
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
1 minute speech topics
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?
Speech timer
- What is one habit you wish you could build?
- What would you do with an extra hour every day?
- What skill should every person learn before age 20?