Language Development 

Lesson 8

How to keep the conversation moving in a positive direction

The following language can be used in many situations in order to begin a conversation.

First, make eye contact with the person that you want to talk with and as soon as you have eye contact, smile.

Second, introduce yourself, "hi, I am…"

And third, pick any one of the questions below to begin small talk…

For prospects:

• “What’s the most exciting thing about your business?”
• “What’s the most exciting thing about your product?”
• “What’s the most exciting thing about your team?”
• “What’s the most exciting thing about your industry?”
• “What’s the most significant change at your company in the past six months?”
• “If you could go back one year in time, what would you do differently?”
• “Tell me about your highlights at [company name].”
• “Tell me about your lowlights at [company name].”
• “What’s your biggest priority right now?”
• “What’s your lowest priority?”
• “What is your boss fixated on right now?”
• “What’s your number one most important metric?”
• “What can I do to help you achieve [X goal]?”

For customers:

• “How are things going?”
• “What’s your progress on [X goal]?”
• “How has business changed since we talked last?”
• “What are you worried about?”
• “What are you happy about?”
• “Which industry events are you planning on attending?”
• “How are your efforts in [related business area]?”
• “How’s life in [city]?”
• “What can I do to make you even more successful?”

For professional acquaintances:

• “What’s your industry like right now?”
• “Do you need any introductions?”
• “As an expert in [field], I’d love to hear your thoughts on [event, announcement, major change].”
• “Tell me about your latest work win.”
• “We’ve discussed your role before, but it’s probably evolved since then.”
• “Which blogs are you reading to stay informed on [topic]?”
• “You’re still one of the only people I know who [did X, achieved Y].”

Small Talk Questions

• “How did you end up at [name of event]? If you could snap your fingers to instantly summon your [coworker, boss, best friend], would you? Why or why not?”
• “What’s been the highlight of your [day, week, month] so far?”
• “Are you a long way from home?”
• “Would you recommend that [food or drink they’re holding]?”
• “What’s the most memorable part of this [name of event] so far?”
• “If this was Groundhog Day and you had to repeat this day over and over, would you be relatively happy or unhappy about this particular day?”
• “What’s the last movie you saw in theatres? What did you think?”
• “What was the last concert you went to? How was it?”
• “How did you choose to work in [field]? If you could go back in time, would you make that same choice again?”
• “Would you advise your children to go into [field]?”
• “If you could turn one of your current skills into a bona fide superpower, which would it be and why?”
• “Which TV show would you choose to live in?”
• “Which TV show most closely mirrors your life?”
• “You remind me strongly of a celebrity, but I can’t remember who it is -- whom do people always compare you to?”
• “When was the last time you did something for the first time? Were you glad you tried it?”
• “If you were responsible for catering [event], what would you order?”
• “If you were hosting this event, [who would you invite to speak, which theme would you have chosen, what would you have done differently]?”

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