1. 换个方式问"How are you?"

"How are you doing right now?"

"How’s your day been so far?"

同样是问"你过得怎样?"但是如此问的效果要好很多，因为没人想去回答甚至思考一下像"How are you?"这样一个过于陈腐的问题。

2. 人们总是乐意谈论最近发生的新鲜事

"What’s happened for you today?”

"How was your trip?"

"How’d you sleep last night?"

3. 借助情境，简单评论一下身边事物：

"What do you think of that book?"

"Looks like a great drink. What is it?"

"I love this place because it’s got great energy."

4. 以赞美来开头

"I like your posture. It makes you stand out nicely."

"Nice shirt. Where did you get it?"

"I love your style!"

5. 谈谈天气：

"It’s so hot today."

"The great sun is burning this afternoon."

"It’s freezing! Do you know the temperature?"

这个方式经常被提到，但是美国漫画家Kin Hubbard说，"Don’t knock the weather. Nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while."要用天气这种通常情况下没有太多变化的东西来发起谈话并非一定容易，所以也不可过分倚重于此。

6. 降低姿态：

"I don’t know anyone around here so I thought I’d come talk to you."

"I’m a little nervous talking with strangers, but I just had to come say hi."

"I know no one here so I thought I’d introduce myself to you."

这类我们可以称之为"vulnerable introduction"，也就是在开场白中显露出自己的惶恐忧虑，这样比较容易让人愿意接近。

7. 坦率表明自己想要接近的原因：

"I’m out meeting new, interesting people tonight. Mind if we chat for a minute?"

"You guys look like you’re having fun. That’s so cool that I just had to come talk to you."

"I had to come talk to you because your shirt made me laugh."

8. 了解即时讯息，谈谈热门事件：

"I was just listening to radio on my way here and can’t believe what happened in Africa."

如果你不是那种喜欢啃报纸、听新闻的人，那就可以以询问对方有什么新鲜事的方式来发起谈话。另外，在这样的对话中可以多用些幽默来缓解一下紧张严肃的气氛。