Okay, tell me if you have ever experienced this. Those family events that are just awkward and annoying. Where you don’t really know what to talk about. Or maybe an event where you don’t really have anything in common. So you aren’t sure which topics are “safe” to discuss without offending the other person. Yeah, we all get that. It seems more common than you may think.
How about where it feels like conversations die off quick and can stay floating around the surface of small talk and weather? Everyone asks you how you are and how’s your job going and so on and so on. They ask the usual questions and just hope you say fine and don’t start into some rant.
I don’t know if this is just me, but I don’t want people to ask me the same question every time they see me. I want to feel like we have a deeper connection. Like, what is my view on x or y. And, what’s your current inspiration? I feel like we can really get to know a person better if we dive deep into their subconscious. What drives them to make the decisions that they do or what is their true passion? If we don’t ask these type of questions, how can you expect to know anyone any better? You wont. You will continue to ask them the same questions over and over and just hope that one day, they will expand their answers.
I wanted to compile a list of topics that you can bring up at the dinner table or just in conversation in general to really get the conversation flowing. Let’s get the beliefs and values right out onto the table and get to know each other a little more shall we?
Family Conversation Starters:
- Politics – Get everyone’s opinion on where they stand on the local or current election. that’s always a sure fire way to ignite a quiet room
- Name a religion and have everyone research one interesting fact
- Name a country and have a competition who can find the most entertaining news
- What are some disciplines for misbehaving kids
- Thoughts on home schooling
- Favourite non fiction book – for the people that don’t read, they have to name their favourite place to get non fiction information. It could be a podcast, website, or social media account
- Where will you be in 10 years?
- Name your biggest weakness
- Name your biggest strength
- Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
- What do you do over and over again that you hate doing?
- what kind of goals do you have for the next year
- If you won the lottery, would you keep working at your current job?
- Do you think you could live in another country? If so which one?
- Which world culture is the most fascinating to you?
- Are people defined by the culture they grew up in?
- Do you think we’ll colonize another planet?
- If money was no object, what would you do with your life?
- What do you do to make other people happy?
- What is happiness to you?
I hope this gave you something thought provoking that you can bring to your next family gathering. I think it’s important especially with the ones we love to get to know each other on a deeper level. Find out the answers to some of the above questions and then ask yourself if you were surprised or not. Maybe you knew what their opinions were or maybe you didn’t and were totally surprised by some of their answers. As a result of this, you may find you get to know your family a little better than you thought you knew them.
Either way, let’s have some fun and get to know each other a little more because we are all unique and all have different values and beliefs.
<3