Last year I expressed “Dinner with a Stranger” as a pattern for Conferences. Now I’d like to suggest an alternative (or add-on?):
At OOP 2013 I once again realized, how bad I am at chatting up strangers without a decent conversation starter. I mean, I consciously make myself sit a table with other people and then, more often than not, I’m not brave enough to start a conversation. Although “Meeting new people” is very high on my list of reasons for attending conferences.
So here’s my latest idea:
At the entrance of the mess hall, lay out stacks of cards: One stack per table. One card per seat. Each card has the following information:
- Table number
- Conversation starter
The conversation starter is a random question such as:
- What do you like most about your job?
- What’s your favourite Simpson character and why?
- What book are you currently reading?
- Which song makes you embarassed that you really love it?
- What were you doing when the Berlin wall came down?
- Cats or dogs?
- What did you want to become as a child?
- Who’s your hero?
- What’s your favourite band?
- …
Then when someone new sits down, the conversation starter can be “So, what conversation starter do you have?”. Having the card and everyone being in on the question-thing, gives uptight western European people, such as me, permission to chat up strangers.
What do you think? Worth a try? E.g. at ALE 2013? Drop me a line! I’d love to come up with all sorts of conversation starters 😀
PS: On second thought, I’d leave out a few tables for weary people who are not in the mood for talking or want to talk in peace to someone they already know. Maybe have “Thanks, I’ll pass”-cards with just a table number as well?