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Hi, I'm Ashley Weston.
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I'm a celebrity mentor stylist.
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So today, I am joined by my fiance, Dorian.
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- Hello.
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- The reason why I wanted Dorian, actually,
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to be in today's video
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is because he's probably one of the best conversationalists
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that I know.
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So, that's why I wanted him
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to just come on the channel
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and really help us all out with today's topic.
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- Thank you, very high praise, I'll take it.
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(laughing)
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I have definitely struggled with being able to get into conversations with people.
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I can always maintain them,
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but I've always had trouble just,
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and I think it's because I'm shy,
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but I've always had difficulty
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getting into a conversation with someone--
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- And getting out of them.
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Let's be honest. - Yes, and getting outta them.
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- But Dorian has been really helpful
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with getting me better
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at being a better conversationalist.
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So, let's get into the best conversation starters.
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Number seven is,
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do you know where the restroom, bar, food area is?
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- The hardest thing in a conversation is to start it.
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That it is, like that's the most difficult thing.
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Once you're in it, it's relatively simple.
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So, you always want to ask someone a question
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that's kind of disarming that
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they can easily answer for you,
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or they can even say I don't know.
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So, that is like the quickest, easiest thing,
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and it doesn't matter on the venue,
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whether it's a big event or a conference
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or even a house party.
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They won't even remember that you needed
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to know where the restroom or bar is.
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They don't even know the reason anyway,
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so it's not like you have to immediately leave.
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I think a lot of people would say,
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well, okay, they told me, but now I have to leave.
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No, no, no, you just keep the...
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now you're in the conversation,
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that's the beauty of it. - Now go with it.
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- Yeah, go with it!
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- Number six going up to someone
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and saying, hey, so where are you from exactly?
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Or, are you from around here?
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- That's like a good one,
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because especially if someone doesn't look like
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they're a part of a crew, or they're kind of,
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I use that one a lot on,
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if people are off by themselves
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or a little small group.
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It's usually more of a one-on-one kind of thing.
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It's hard to walk up to a group and then say that,
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and the group was like, well who are you talking to?
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- Where are you all from?
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- Yeah, that's a good one if it's an individual person
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and you're just trying to make conversation,
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and you kinda zoned in on them.
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That's a great one to start out with.
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It's really easy to answer, again,
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you just looking to start a conversation.
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You don't wanna hit them with heavy question,
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that's pretty weird.
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Number five is actually something that Dorian has taught me,
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and has worked very well, and that is
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if someone is holding a plate of food or a drink,
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you just go up to them like,
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oh hey, that looks really good, what is that?
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Where'd you get the from?
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- Like a super easy one.
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It like, again, they can answer it very simply.
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It's not offensive in any way,
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and then you have the conversation
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of oh, is it good?
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Like, oh, what do you like to drink normally
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or do you eat that kind of food normally,
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or even then you go into,
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the beauty is, all of these conversation starters,
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you can use all the other ones
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to keep the conversation going.
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Oh, so where are you from, exactly?
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Oh, hey, actually, do you know where the restroom is
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or whatever.
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You know, you could use, you can combine them all together
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and now you're in a pretty decent conversation.
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So, again, that's just a great opening line,
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'cause someone's got something in their hands,
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it's easy to talk about.
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- Number four on the list is very similar to number five,
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and that is when you go up to someone and you say,
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Hey, I really like your shirt.
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Where'd you get that from?
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- And my answer is, Ashley got it for me.
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- People love compliments.
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It instantly lets their guard down.
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So, I always try to,
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especially if I just can't think of anything,
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I'll just compliment them on something that they're wearing,
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and ask them where did they get it,
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or something like that.
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Number three is, so what was the best part of your day?
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- I included this one because I was asked this question
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maybe like 10, 15 years ago,
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and it stuck with me ever since.
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It was like, such a nice change.
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I was an entertainment executive for a long time.
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So, I was at meetings, meeting new people all the time,
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and out of all the years I was doing all that,
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interfacing with a lot of strangers and new people,
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one person asked me that question
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and it stuck with me ever since,
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and it was such a great question.
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It would make me feel good
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that someone would ask that question.
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I was like, oh, this one's amazing.
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Bit of a gamble, depending on the group, obviously.
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But I would say that that is one
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that will kind of put someone back
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on their heels just a little bit.
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So, if you're not really that comfortable
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with that kind of,
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it's a bit of a bold question to start with,
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but I will tell you I've remembered that question
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ever since that day,
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and I felt like it was a really, really good one.
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I've used it on other people, and they said the same thing,
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like, "That's like a great question".
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And then they--
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- People will remember you by that.
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- Definitely, definitely.
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- Number two is something that I use a lot,
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and I know Dorian does as well, and that is,
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so, what brought you here tonight
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or today et cetera.
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So, this is great if you're at a bar or some kind of event
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that's not hosted by someone specifically,
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but it's a really easy way to get into a conversation.
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- Yeah.
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So, someone has a reason for going everywhere.
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So, they're not.
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Even if they don't have a reason,
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like, I don't know, I just came with my friend.
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Oh, well, who's your friend? - Yeah.
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- Like, you're already immediately
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into a conversation again.
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So, it's a really, really great one.
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That's my go-to for sure.
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- Especially because it's not a yes or no,
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and it's not a quick answer, usually.
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So, their answer,
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they're probably giving a lot of good information
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that you can kinda hook onto,
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and then form your next question.
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So, the number one conversation starter
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that you should use,
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and it's kinda similar, actually, to number two,
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and that is, going up to someone and saying,
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hi, so how do you know so-and-so?
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Which means the so-and-so is the host of the event.
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- You, for the longest time,
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couldn't wrap your head around this question,
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but I'm like, if you're invited somewhere by the host,
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the people at the same place are probably also invited
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by the host, so now you have a common ground already.
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So, it's not like this person's like,
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well, what the hell, who are you,
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like, why would you even ask me that question.
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You always found it so weird,
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and I'm like, just try it
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when you're at a party. - Now, we use it all the time.
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- If we're at a party hosted by someone specific,
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I'm always, I will go up to people now
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and I have no qualms, and I'm like,
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hey, so how do you know Charlie?
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It's great.
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This is so easy now.
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And then, I get to learn a lot of cool information
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that maybe my host wouldn't have told me about that person.
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- Yeah, you already have common ground
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to stand on and discuss, so use it.
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- If you liked this video, remember to give it a thumbs up.
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Subscribe to my channel for more videos like this,
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and thank you so much, Dorian, for being here,
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- You're welcome, it's my pleasure.
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- and sharing your wisdom.
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Like I said at the top, Dorian is incredible
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on getting into and then maintaining conversations.
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So, these are gonna be really helpful.
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They've helped me.
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So, I know if they've helped me,
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they're definitely gonna help you.
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Hope you all enjoy.
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- And I was never a great conversationalist growing up.
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I had to learn the hard way
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when I was an entertainment executive.
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I just got thrown into these random situations.
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So, these are the things that I've learned over the years.
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I'm telling you, they work, and I am not--
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- Tried and true.
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- Yeah, I am not like an outgoing sorta guy.
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I can do it if I need to, but that is not my default.
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So, trust it, use them, love them.
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- Alright.
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We need to get outta here.
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- Yeah, I'm done.
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- This video's done.