Never Fail Interesting Topics of Conversation

Whether you want to enjoy yourself at a party or keep a first date lively with good banter, it's a good idea to arm yourself with interesting topics of conversation. While it's never a good idea to dominate a conversation, if you have interesting topics at hand, you can keep things lively when there's a lull or a subject turns dull.

Most conversations begin with a question and having a range of interesting open-ended questions ensures that you can engage the other person in an interesting exchange of ideas. Start with questions about them that gives the listener an opportunity to expand as much or as little as he likes. Some good ones are:

• How did you like growing up in your hometown?
• Have you ever traveled abroad?
• What was your first job?
• Are you a pet person?
• What is your ideal weekend?
• Do you have a favorite holiday?

There are a wide range of playful conversation starters that work well in either a group setting or a one-on-one. These are designed to capture the imagination and bring out a friendly debate on the merits of each person's choice. Some fun conversation starters include:

• "Which movie star would play you in a movie of your life?"
• "If you won a $500,000 jackpot tomorrow, how would you spend it?"
• "Would you rather live a rich short life or a long humble one?"

There are conversation starters that can spark some serious conversations, and as long as these topics steer clear of politics and religion, they can allow for stimulating idea exchange. Some more serious topics include:

• "What do you think about spending so much money on space exploration?"
• "What's a tradition from another cultural that you admire?"
• "Who is a personal hero of yours?"
• "What event do you consider the most influential of the past century?"
• "Which person has been the most influential in the past century?"
• "What invention has been the most influential in the past century?"

The good news is that any of these questions will encourage at least three more questions depending upon the answers you get. A good conversationalist will continue to ask open-ended questions and listen intently to the other person as they get to know each other better.