I’m not a fan of filler conversations about the weather. It’s the quintessential surface-level small talk. But that conversation is also kind of unavoidable sometimes. It just happens. When it does, this question is an awesome bridge to more interesting stuff! “It sure has been cold lately.” “Yeah, you said it. I wish I had vacation plans somewhere warm. Do you have any trips coming up?” Boom. From there you can talk about memorable vacations, recommendations, that time you attempted snowboarding…
Source: This Forbes list of conversation starters.
Have you asked this question? How did it go? Do you have advice for how best to ask it? PLEASE RATE! AND WRITE A REVIEW (in the comment box below)!
I’m not sure about this one… What I’m looking for in a good alternative-to-What-do-you-do question is one that doesn’t feel like you’re just trying to fill the void and I think this one still feels like you’re trying too hard. Maybe that’s OK though.
This is definitely a good option, but I agree with Aaron that when I get asked/ask this question it seems obvious that the asker had been racking their brain to come up with any way to fill the silence. I really would love a list of questions to ask to fill awkward silences – for example, when you are in the kitchen at work and one of your coworkers comes in to fill up their coffee mug. Questions that convey that you are genuinely interested in learning more about that person – but that are also easy enough to answer in just a couple of minutes.