Whether you want to start a conversation with a new guy or girl you find attractive or you want to get a training session off to a great start, a good ice breaker can help you make a memorable first impression. It can turn that first encounter with someone new into something wonderful that blossoms into lasting friendships and valuable partnerships.
不论你是想和心仪的男生或女生展开对话,还是想让一次培训课有好的开始,一句好的开场白有助于你给他人留下难忘的第一印象。它会让你和某人的初次见面变得非常美好,让你们之间发展出长久的友谊和有价值的合作关系。
A bad ice breaker, however, can be a recipe for disaster. It can spiral out of control pretty quickly and at best be a terrible waste of time or worse an embarrassment for everyone involved. So, how do you start a meaningful conversation with someone new and avoid embarrassments or awkward moments of silence? Where do you begin?
然而一句糟糕的开场白则可能引发灾难。它会让场面很快失控,至少也浪费了时间,搞不好还会让每个人都尴尬。那么你该如何和初次见面的人开始一场有意义的交谈,而且避免尴尬和冷场呢?你该怎么进行开场?
Understand that it is normal to feel a bit nervous when approaching someone new. Everyone gets a little shy at first; after all, you don’t know what this other person is like. The person could be a grumpy, mean guy, but the only way to know for sure what the person is like is to get over being shy and approach them. That person might turn out to be the nicest, kindest person you ever meet.
你要明白,和一个陌生人接近时感到有点紧张是很正常的。最开始每个人都会有些害羞,毕竟你不清楚对方是怎样的人。那个人也许是个坏脾气的讨厌鬼,但唯一确定这个人个性的办法就是克服害羞,去接近他。也许这个人会成为你所遇到的最亲切最善良的人。
Start by filling your idea vault with possible ice breakers to start a conversation and follow-up questions to sustain the conversation. Listen attentively to the other person’s responses because this can make or break your follow-up questions. To help you out with ideas for starting a conversation, here are ten of the most effective ice breakers you can use in different scenarios to get a conversation off and running.
一开始你应该想好各种可能的开场白以便开始这场对话,并且准备后续的问题让对话持续下去。仔细倾听对方的回应,因为这会影响到你后续问题的成败。为了帮助你开始一场对话,下面是10句最有用的开场白,你可以用于不同场合,让对话开始并进行下去。
1. “How are you doing today, miss?”
“小姐,今天过得怎么样?”
A genuine hello accompanied by a heartwarming, three second smile is one of the most basic, highly effective ice breakers there is. Often, we brush simple things aside as being too simple not realizing the simplest things can have the biggest impact in life.
一句真诚的问候搭配上一个温暖的三秒钟微笑是最基本也最有用的开场白。我们总是忽略一些简单的东西,并没有发觉那些最简单的东西可以在生活中发挥最大的效果。
Think about the people who say “good morning” or “howdy” to their neighbors. This simple greeting is usually followed up with “how are you” or “how are the kids?” Before long, the two parties are talking about their families and even favorite sports teams.
想想那些对邻居说“早上好”或者“你好”的人。这种简单的问候通常会得到“你好吗”或者“孩子们好吗”作为回应。很快,双方就开始谈论他们的家庭甚至最喜欢的球队了。
2. “Nice earrings!”
“你的耳环真漂亮!”
This comment represents a classic technique that is quite effective for starting a conversation. Regardless of whom you are talking to, saying something genuinely nice about their outfit, accessories or even mood will usually be received well.
这句评价代表了开场白中十分有用的一种经典技巧。不论你在和谁聊天,真诚地赞美一下他们的着装、配饰、甚至是心情,对方通常会很乐意接受。
The person receiving the compliment will thank you and possibly say something nice about you in return. In doing this, a dialogue begins. Keep the dialogue going by asking a question like “Where did you buy the earrings? I really like them.”
接受你赞美的人会向你表示感谢,可能还会对你说一些赞美的话作为回报。这样一来,一场对话就开始了。想要继续对话,可以问这样的问题,比如“你的耳环在哪里买的?我非常喜欢。”
3. “Does this shop always have such long queues?”
“这家商店门口总是要排这么长的队吗?”
Simply commenting on an unpleasant or uncomfortable situation that you both experience in your immediate surroundings is another effective strategy for starting a conversation. You can comment about a long bathroom line or wobbly waiting-room chair.
在周边环境中,对你们双方共同经历过的某种令人不愉快或者不舒服的情况进行简单的评价,也是一种有用的开场白策略。你可以抱怨卫生间门口的长队或者等候室里摇晃的椅子。
By focusing on an unpleasant situation that you both find yourselves in and subtly complaining about it, you cleverly suck the other person into an unwitting pact that unites both of you against a common enemy.
关注某个你们共同身处的不愉快的场景并且不经意地抱怨,你就巧妙地把对方和自己拉到了一条阵线上,对抗一个共同的敌人。
4. “Chicago really is the windy city!”
“芝加哥确实是风之城啊!”
Yes. Talk about the weather. It may sound clichéd, but it works wonders in real life. People talk about the weather all the time—It’s a topic everyone has an opinion on. Think of how you have an opinion about what dress or fashion choice is right for different weather.
没错,谈论天气。听上去也许有点老套,但在现实中确实管用。人们总是在谈论天气——这是一个人人都可以发表观点的话题。你可以想想对于不同天气该如何穿衣搭配的观点。
Once the person responds, you can ease into the conversation with “small talk” like, “The wind is so strong; it nearly blew me over!”
一旦对方做出回应,你就可以很容易把谈话继续下去,比如“风太大了,就快把我吹跑了!”
5. “Oh, did you hear about…”
“你听没听说……”
Kick-start a conversation with a description of an interesting, entertaining and/or funny story. Get right in to your story description and then allow the other person to make a remark or share an opinion of the story.
描述一个有趣的、娱乐性的或者搞笑的故事作为开场白。讲完故事之后让对方就这个故事发表评论或者分享观点。
If your story is interesting enough, there really is no telling where it could take the ensuing dialogue and for how long you could stretch the conversation once your new friend gets on board.
如果你的故事足够有趣,就没必要担心你们的对话该如何继续或者继续多久了,只要你的新朋友被你的故事吸引就行。
6. “What kind of drink is that?
“你喝的是什么?”
People love eating and drinking. If the person you want to start a conversation with has a nice-looking drink or a delicious-looking burger, comment on how delicious (or not delicious) the burger is. Alternatively asks her what kind of drink she’s having.
人们喜欢吃吃喝喝。如果你想要聊天的那个人在喝一杯不错的饮料或者在吃一个看上去美味的汉堡,可以评价一下这个汉堡有多好吃(或者多难吃)。或者你也可以问她喝的是什么。
When she replies, follow up with something like “Do you really like it?” or ” Can I buy you another?” Introduce yourself and don’t forget to flash your best charming smile.
如果她回答你了,可以继续问“你真的喜欢吗?”或者“我能再请你喝一杯吗?”自我介绍一下,别忘了展现你最迷人的微笑。
7. “That’s a lovely name; are you named after someone?”
“这个名字真好听, 是以某个人命名的吗?”
This works especially well in a workplace setting, business meeting or conference where people are wearing name tags. If she has an interesting name, walk up to her and say something like “Camille, lovely name. What’s the origin of the name?”
这句开场白尤其适用于工作场所、商务会议之类人们带着姓名胸牌的场合。如果她的名字很有意思,走上去对她说“卡米尔,可爱的名字,它的来历是什么呢?”
She’ll probably be excited to tell you about her French name and before you know it, a conversation has ensued. If her name is ordinary or common, however, you might not find too many interesting questions to ask.
她也许会很激动地告诉你她的法语名字,还不用等你知道,一场对话已经展开了。可是如果她的名字很平常很普通,你也许问不出什么有趣的问题。
8. “Hello, do you work here?”
“你好,你在这里工作吗?”
This also works well at a workplace or business setting where people are wearing name tags. Even if you know the answer, ask whether he works there anyway. If you know some people who work at his company or retail store, mention them to him.
这句同样适用于人们佩戴姓名胸牌的工作场所或商务场合。即使你知道答案,也要问问他是否在这里工作。如果你认识某个人和他在同一家公司或者零售店工作,可以提起他们的名字。
Follow up with related questions like “What do you do here?” “Have you been working here a long time?” “Do you like it here?” “What’s your favorite/worst part of your job?
接下来可以问一些相关的问题,比如“你在这里做什么工作?”“你在这里工作很久了吗?”“你喜欢这里吗?”“你最喜欢/最不喜欢这份工作哪一点?”
9. “People call me David, but you can call me TONIGHT.”
“人们叫我大卫,不过你今晚可以给我打电话。”
Okay, telling a joke is easier said than done. Jokes can be tricky, but they’re some of the best conversations starters you can throw at someone new. They help the other person see a witty, fun and likeable side of your personality.
确实,讲笑话说起来容易做起来难。讲笑话并不容易,但是和某人初次见面时,笑话是最好的开场白。它可以让对方看到你性格当中幽默、有趣、可爱的一面。
That said, unless you’re really confident about your joke-telling skills, it’s probably a good idea to avoid them or start with a self-deprecating joke. You can’t possibly offend yourself, can you?
虽然如此,除非你对自己讲笑话的技巧非常自信,否则最好还是不要讲,尤其是自我贬低型的笑话。你不太能冒犯自己吧,对吗?
10. “Excuse me, I just thought I should come over and talk to you.”
“打扰一下,我觉得我应该过来跟你聊聊。”
Sometimes the best and most fun ice breaker is honesty. Walk up to her and just be honest. Tell her you want to talk to her. Point out how awkward and funny the situation actually is for both of you and that you are trying to make the best of it.
有时候最好也最有趣的开场白就是大实话。走到她面前,坦白说。告诉她你想和她聊天。告诉她这种情形对你们来说尴尬又滑稽,所以你要好好利用。
Honesty really can be the best policy. Who doesn’t love a refreshing bout of honesty, any way?
诚实确实是最佳法则。无论如何,谁不喜欢让人振奋的诚实出击呢?
There you have it: ten of the most effective ice breakers you can use to initiate a meaningful conversation with someone new.
现在你知道了10句最有用的开场白。你可以用来和初次见面的人开始一场有意义的对话了。