What are good ways to make conversation more interesting?

[farmerjohn1324]

When you are getting to know someone, what are good ways to make the conversation more interesting. Other than the boring "what do you do for work? where do you go to school? what do you do for fun?"

 

How do you probe deeper? What questions should I ask or how should I act? How to elicit an emotional response rather than just a boring one?

 

And while we're at it... what are some good introductions at a bar other than "Hi, I'm Patrick. How are you? What's you name?"... then get into the same boring conversation.

[CarrieT]

Try these...

"Tell me three unlikely things you did today."

"What's the strangest thing about where you grew up?"

"What does your name mean?" (If they say, "I don't know," reply, "What would you like it to mean?")

"What are you looking forward to this week?"

"Who do you think is the luckiest person in this room?"

"If you could teleport by blinking your eyes, where would you go right now?"

"What three people would you invite to a dinner party and why?"

"Name three books you would want on a desert island."

[newmoon]

think of the types of questions you might want to be asked. i'd like:

 

what are your passions and interests

how do you spend a typical weekend

have you traveled anywhere interesting recently

have you seen the new x, y, z thing that just opened in town

have you tried the blank down at the blank yet, i hear it is interesting

 

you're trying to connect with the person and you're trying to fish out some info.

 

i would hate to hear "typical" stuff like what you do for work, and etc. that can come later. there are so many other things to ask that tell you much more about a person. and "fun" questions are just as bad, they can come across as probing and disingenuine imo