msaad

5 best ice-breakers for any English social situation!

Trying to introduce yourself to a new person can be intimidating. If you don’t know anything about them, how will you know what to say? How can you start an interesting conversation with a total stranger? Here are five English “ice-breakers,” ways of thawing the icy-cold awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time.

Find something in common with them. Even if you think you don’t know anything about this new person, you actually do – you know they’re in the same room as you. “So what brings you here?” you can ask. Or, if you’re at your friend Bob’s party, you can ask “How do you know Bob?”

Compliment them. Everyone likes to hear nice things said about them. “What a wonderful dress you’re wearing!” Point out how much you like the person’s shoes or glasses. After that, if they don’t say anything more than “thank you,” you can ask a follow-up, like “Where did you get it?” or “What’s it made out of?” or even “Was it expensive?” These sorts of questions are good because they invite the person to tell you more about themselves.

Ask them a question about themselves. Almost all people have jobs, so why not ask the person, “So what do you do for a living?” Or “Where are you from originally?” meaning you want to know where they were born. Again, questions make any first-time conversation easier. If the person is polite, they will ask you the question in return, which will give you a chance to talk about yourself.

Introduce yourself. Don’t just say, “Hi, my name is John.” Offer some information about yourself. “Hi, my name is John. I’m a friend of Bob’s from high school. We use to have the same math class together.” This will hopefully catch the other person’s interest, prompting them to either ask you a question or offer some information about themselves.

Comment on something. Without directly asking any questions of this new person, you can draw them out by saying something like “This is a great party” or “What a lovely house this is.” Even though the house or the party are not theirs, these statements still give you something pleasant and easy to talk about. Much like the first suggestion, these ice-breakers work because you do have something in common with this stranger; you’re talking to each other.