Standards

Life Hacks: Save a Conversation

THE PROBLEM

On the bus back from a school trip, the new girl in your class sits down next to you. You want to get to know her, but the conversation stalls. An awkward silence follows.

Shutterstock.com

THE HACK

Use open-ended questions to keep the conversation going. Unlike closed questions, which can be answered with just one word, like “yes” or “no,” open-ended questions invite people to share their ideas and feelings, and give you an opportunity to share yours. Here are some question starters to try.

Text-to-Speech