How To Start A Conversation

Posted on December 5, 2008 by admin

Dear Dawn:

What’s the best way to start a conversation with someone online?

Kathy L.
Dallas, TX

That’s a great question!

Striking up a conversation with someone online can sometimes be a little intimidating, especially since you can’t rely on things like facial expressions and body language to help gauge their approachability factor.

But just because chatting online is different from face-to-face encounters doesn’t mean that you can’t find a comfort level.

The secret to connecting with others online is to seek out others with similar interests. This ensures that you’ll have some things in common - a perfect way to break the ice when you’re talking to someone new. Fortunately, the Internet makes this easy by providing interest-specific venues to help you out.

For example, you might visit a forum dedicated to parenting to find others who are dealing with the trials and tribulations of single parenting. You might try a music related chat room if you’re really interested in meeting others who have an appreciation for jazz. And likewise, if its the law of attraction that is important to you, then the 15,000 plus members at LawOfAttractionSingles.com would be a good place to meet like-minded people.

So, once you’ve found your venue, what’s next?

The best way to approach people is always to just be yourself, regardless of whether you’re chatting with them online or face-to-face. People can tell when you’re being genuine - something that is quite an endearing quality all on its own - and besides, who wants to spend a large amount of time and effort pretending to be someone you’re not?

So when you find someone you’d like to talk to, just say hello. If they have a profile, comment on one of their pictures or find something you have in common and use that as the ice-breaker. If you’re in a forum or chat room, you have the unique opportunity to jump into an existing conversation. This is a great way to get to know someone without having to carry the conversation all by yourself.

Just remember that we all get nervous just as we all have had the experience of stepping out of our comfort zone from time to time. Take a deep breath, relax and jump in!