Starting a conversation is not easy, especially if you are shy, or facing a room of strangers, new colleagues or old friends you have run out of small talk with. The good news is that it is a skill, not a personality trait, and the questions you choose do most of the work. In a well-known 1997 study in Personalidad y Psicología Social Boletín, psychologist Arthur Aron and colleagues found that pairs of strangers who worked through a set of gradually deeper questions felt markedly closer than pairs who made ordinary small talk.
In our years helping hosts run live sessions at AhaSlides, we have seen the same thing on screen: give a group a good prompt and the conversation runs itself. Below are 140 conversation topics grouped by setting, five practical tips to get started, and a few ways to run them live with a whole group.
Cinco consejos prácticos para iniciar una conversación.
1. Mantenlo simple
The point of a conversation is not to impress but to share and listen. Stick to simple questions, be honest and be yourself: trying to say something clever usually puts pressure on both sides.
2. Comience con una pregunta
An pregunta abierta is the fastest way onto a topic the other person cares about. Instead of "do you like your job?", try "what is the most interesting thing about your job?" and you open a door rather than close one.
3. Escuche activamente
Presta atención a las palabras, el tono y el lenguaje corporal de la otra persona, en lugar de ensayar tu respuesta. Sus señales te indicarán cuándo profundizar en el tema y cuándo cambiar de conversación.
4. Mostrar interés
Comfortable eye contact, a smile and a nod show that you are engaged, without tipping into an awkward stare.
5. Sé honesto, abierto y amable.
Comparte un poco de tu experiencia después de preguntar, y dejará de parecer una entrevista. Si hay algo que prefieras no comentar, un educado "¿Hablamos de otra cosa?" es perfectamente aceptable.
General conversation topics
Easy, low-stakes questions for a first coffee, a team lunch or the first five minutes of a meeting. Our pick: What are three surprising things about you?, because the answers almost always lead somewhere unexpected.
Films, music and showstemas 6
- ¿Escuchas algún podcast? ¿Cual és tu favorito?
- What do you think has been the best film of the year so far?
- What song can't you get out of your head at the moment?
- Would you recommend the last rom-com you watched? Why or why not?
- ¿Qué pareja de celebridades te gustaría que volvieran a estar juntas?
- Is there a series you'd recommend I start this week?
Llegándote a conocertetemas 8
- What was your favourite toy or game as a child?
- ¿Quién fue tu héroe de la infancia?
- If you didn't have the job you have now, what would you be doing?
- What are three surprising things about you?
- How have your interests changed over the last few years?
- ¿En qué te encantaría ser experto?
- ¿En qué deporte te gustaría ser bueno?
- What's a hobby you've picked up recently?
Places and planstemas 6
- ¿Adónde irías de vacaciones si no tuvieras presupuesto?
- ¿Cuál es tu restaurante favorito por aquí?
- Which city would you move to tomorrow if you could?
- ¿Cuál es un beneficio de la empresa que le encantaría tener?
- ¿Cuáles son las tradiciones únicas de su empresa?
- What's the best thing you've done this month?
Deep conversation topics
People tend to avoid deeper questions because they expect them to feel awkward, but un estudio de 2022 by Michael Kardas, Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley found that deep conversations with strangers were less awkward and more enjoyable than people predicted. Our pick: Which teaches you more: success or failure?, a question almost everyone has a story for.
Lecciones aprendidastemas 7
- ¿Cuál es el peor consejo que has escuchado alguna vez?
- What's the most important life lesson you've learned so far?
- Which teaches you more: success or failure?
- What lessons from your childhood have shaped how you see the world?
- What has been your biggest success so far, and how did it change your life?
- What's the biggest challenge you've taken on this year, and how did you get through it?
- ¿Qué es lo más interesante que has aprendido en el trabajo?
Quien erestemas 8
- ¿Cuáles son sus mejores maneras de lidiar con el estrés?
- What's the best surprise you've ever received?
- ¿Cuál es su definición de riesgo?
- ¿Qué haces cuando te sientes desmotivado?
- Si pudieras cambiar algo de tu personalidad, ¿qué sería?
- If you could go back in time, is there anything you would change?
- How do you keep yourself organised day to day?
- What does "inner beauty" mean to you?
Grandes preguntastemas 5
- Do you think people can really change?
- Is it better to be a specialist or a generalist?
- If you could break one rule without getting in trouble, which would it be?
- Can someone be too young to be in love? Why or why not?
- ¿Cómo sería diferente tu vida si las redes sociales no existieran?
Funny conversation topics
Use these to break the tension at a party, a team social or a slow Monday morning. Our pick: What's the worst superhero power you can imagine?, which gets everyone competing for the most useless answer.
Food and fridgestemas 5
- What's the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
- What's the craziest food you want to try?
- If your personality were a food, what would it be?
- ¿Qué es lo más raro que tienes ahora mismo en tu nevera?
- What would be the worst "buy one, get one free" deal of all time?
Embarrassing momentstemas 5
- What's the funniest text you've ever received?
- What's the most embarrassing thing you've seen happen to someone else?
- What's a random, funny thing that happened to you on holiday?
- What's your most embarrassing moment at work?
- What's the strangest thing you've seen on social media recently?
Pura imaginacióntemas 10
- What would be the worst possible name to give a child?
- What's the worst superhero power you can imagine?
- What's popular now that everyone will be embarrassed by in five years?
- Si no hubiera un código de vestimenta, ¿cómo te vestirías para el trabajo?
- What would be much better if you could just change its colour?
- What would be the most unusual funeral you can imagine?
- ¿Cuál es el talento más inútil que tienes?
- What terrible film do you secretly love?
- What's the weirdest thing you find attractive in a person?
- What isn't real, but you wish it were?
Mindful conversation topics
Reflective questions for a close friend, a partner or a quiet walk. Give people time to think, and be ready to answer them yourself. Our pick: What do you always enjoy doing, even when you are tired?, a gentle way into what really matters to someone.
Ahora mismotemas 6
- What are you enjoying most about life at the moment?
- ¿Qué es lo que más piensas?
- Who do you talk to on the phone most often?
- What do you always enjoy doing, even when you are tired?
- ¿Qué papel juega la gratitud en tu vida?
- How confident are you in your decision-making?
Choices and valuestemas 7
- How do you think you can become the best version of yourself?
- If a relationship or job made you unhappy, would you stay or leave?
- What's a hard decision you're glad you made?
- ¿Cuál es su mayor valor fundamental?
- ¿Qué piensas sobre el dinero?
- What role has formal education played in your life, and how do you feel about it?
- Do you believe your future is decided for you, or do you decide it yourself?
La vista largatemas 7
- ¿Qué has hecho que te hace sentir más orgulloso de ti mismo?
- ¿Qué legado quieres dejar atrás?
- Si pudieras tener un solo deseo, ¿cuál sería?
- How comfortable are you talking about death?
- ¿Cómo te sientes acerca de tus padres?
- ¿Cómo te sientes acerca de hacerte mayor?
- ¿Qué crees que le da sentido a tu vida?
Conversation topics for work
Questions that help colleagues get to know each other without crossing into anything too personal. They work well for one-to-ones, team check-ins and a new starter's first week. Our pick: Who at work has taught you the most?, which gets people talking about each other in a good way. For more, see our preguntas para romper el hielo.
Everyday check-instemas 7
- ¿Cómo ha estado tu carga de trabajo últimamente?
- ¿Cuál fue el punto culminante de tu día?
- What's one thing you're excited about this week?
- ¿Qué hiciste hoy?
- How's your morning going so far?
- What is a good work hack that everyone should try?
- ¿Cuál es la última habilidad nueva que aprendiste?
El trabajo en sítemas 6
- ¿Te importaría contarme tu experiencia trabajando en este proyecto?
- Are there any skills you thought would be crucial to your job that turned out not to matter?
- Que es lo que mas te gusta de tu trabajo?
- What would you change about your job if you could?
- What do you find the biggest challenge in your role?
- What's the best piece of feedback you've ever been given?
Carreras y ambicionestemas 7
- Which project are you proudest of so far?
- What's one lifelong dream you haven't fulfilled yet?
- How did you end up in this career?
- Where could your career go from here in this organisation?
- What opportunities does this job give you?
- What do you think the industry will look like in a few years?
- Who at work has taught you the most?
Conversation topics for networking events
At a conference, the event itself is the one thing you know you have in common, so start there and widen out. Our pick: ¿Qué te trajo aquí hoy?, simple, open and impossible to answer with a yes or no.
Sobre el eventotemas 11
- If you had to sum up this event in three words, which would you choose?
- What other events like this have you been to?
- What have been your highlights so far?
- What do you enjoy most about events like this?
- ¿Cómo te enteraste acerca de este evento?
- What would bring you back next year?
- How does the event compare with what you expected?
- What's the most surprising thing about this event so far?
- ¿Qué te trajo aquí hoy?
- ¿Qué parte del evento estás esperando con más ansias?
- What's one thing you're hoping to learn here?
Speakers and sessionstemas 4
- What do you already know about this speaker's work?
- Which of the speakers would you most like to meet?
- What did you think of that talk?
- If you were giving a talk here, what would you speak about?
El cuadro más grandetemas 5
- Which conference would you hate to miss?
- What's the best event on your calendar this year?
- What has changed since you started coming to this event?
- ¿Cómo te metiste en la industria?
- Are you here to meet anyone in particular?
Conversation starters over text
Over text, short and specific beats long and general, and a question gives the other person an easy way to reply. Our pick: Describe yourself in three emojis, quick to answer and fun to decode.
Light openerstemas 9
- ¿Cómo va tu día?
- ¿Trabajando en algo emocionante últimamente?
- Are you more of a cat or a dog person?
- Descríbete en tres emojis.
- ¿Cual es tu comida favorita?
- What's the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
- ¿Qué es lo más interesante que has leído recientemente?
- ¿Cuáles fueron las mejores vacaciones que has tenido?
- It's such a nice day. Fancy going for a walk?
Acercarsetemas 11
- Where would you like to go on a first date?
- Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?
- What's a small habit that has made a big difference to you?
- Is there a quote that is special to you?
- What's the worst chat-up line you've ever heard?
- What's something that scares you but you'd like to do anyway?
- What's a small thing that always makes your day better?
- What's the best compliment anyone has ever given you?
- ¿Qué es lo que más quieres en una relación?
- ¿Cómo defines la felicidad para ti?
- ¿Cuál fue tu primera impresión de mí?
Practica estos temas en directo con un grupo.
These prompts work one-to-one, but they really come alive with a group. With a tool like AhaSlides, everyone answers from their phone and the responses appear on the shared screen, so nobody has to shout over the room and quieter members can join in without being put on the spot.
Calentar con un nube de palabras en vivo. Ask "describe yourself in three words" or "which Slack channel are you most active on?" and watch the answers build live, with the most common growing largest.
Emite un voto rápido con un encuesta en línea, Luego, deja que la gente explique su elección. Una ronda de preguntas de "esto o aquello" es una chispa confiable. Collect the bigger questions on an open-ended slide De esta forma, los temas más complejos reciben respuestas escritas y bien pensadas, en lugar de una carrera por ser los primeros en hablar.
Preguntas frecuentes
What are good conversation topics?
Good topics are open-ended and easy to answer from personal experience: films and music, travel, food, work, hobbies and plans. Avoid questions that only need a yes or no, and follow up on whatever the other person seems most interested in.
How do you keep a conversation going?
Ask a follow-up question about something they just said, then share a little of your own experience. Listening for details you can pick up on is more useful than having the next question ready.
What topics should you avoid with people you have just met?
Steer clear of money, religion, politics and anyone's appearance until you know the person better. If a topic lands badly, move on with a lighter question.
How do you start a conversation with a group?
Pick one question everyone can answer, such as a this-or-that choice or a one-word word cloud, and let people answer at the same time. Once the answers are on the screen, the discussion starts itself.
