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Ask Choices: Your Burning Questions Answered
How Can I Make Small Talk?
Dear Choices,
My relatives are coming to my house for Thanksgiving this year. I love them, but I’m nervous about having nothing to say to them. How can I make conversation around the dinner table?
Signed, Nervous in Newark
Dear Nervous,
Talking with people you don’t know well can be a challenge, but it can also be rewarding and even fun. Remember that your guests might be feeling as awkward as you are. To help put everyone at ease, try these tips.
Love, Choices
1. Break The Ice.
Get the table talking with a question for the group. For example: What famous person from history do you wish could be joining us at dinner?
2. Ask A Question.
What was your relatives’ most memorable Thanksgiving? What’s one happy memory they have from when they were your age?
3. Get Personal.
Share your favorite subject in school, what you most want for your birthday, or the craziest thing that’s happened in the past year.