Small talk. It's the typical conversation starter, and a common way that is used to make a situation more relaxed and friendly. I'm slightly different from my fellow introverts in this issue, because I can do certain amount of small talk, mostly because I know it's an acceptable way to get to know people, and I like people, so I'll put up with it, but only for so long. Those types of conversations are only interesting in the first few minutes, but if my mind isn't engaged by those first minutes or so, my talking will start to shut off and my mind will wander elsewhere.
I was looking around at websites for some examples on what kinds of questions to use as conversation starters, and I found two websites. One was a great example of terrible questions to ask an introvert, and the other had some potential. The first site is Small Talk: Conversation Starters. The first thing I noticed with the questions on this site is that they are terrible. In my major, I was specifically taught that a good question should be open-ended, that is, the question cannot be answered simply. It encourages the person answering to expound on their thoughts. The majority of this website's questions can be answered in a simple yes or no, and for the others the question could be answered in no more than a simple and short sentence. If you want to get someone to talk, you're going to need better questions. Second problem, these are issues that are shallow topics or are a little more prying than is comfortable. I can guarantee that you won't get much out of an introvert with these questions.
Plot twist: the second example with great questions I can't find. LOL. Every. Single. Site. I've looked at to replace it is loaded with so many terrible questions! So much for a great example.
Back to the open-ended questions. Those are the questions that are inviting. They are the ones that get my mind working, and I absolutely love it when something sparks my mind in that manner. I could think about the question limitlessly for weeks and not tire of it. Get me to think. Deeply. That's the key. It often leads to an enlightenment that I've never thought about before, and I love those moments!
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| I didn't bring up this point specifically, but it is completely true. There's a definite barrier. |
