Cocktail Parties

• Introduce yourself rather than waiting for the other person to do so. Extend your hand and say, "Hi, I'm Kara." If the person you are trying to talk with only says hello, take it a step further by asking her name. Restate the person's name a few times at the beginning of the conversation to commit it to memory. Use the hostess as a springboard for conversation by asking how she knows him. You can reply to her answers by asking additional questions about how long they've known each other or where they met.
  
  

Dinner Parties

• Do your best to talk to both people on either side of you during dinner. There might be three or four people engaged in one conversation. Include anyone who appears left out in the conversation or start a new one with him. You can discuss the food and drinks, the music playing, people you met throughout the night or the interior decorating of the restaurant. These are great conversation starters, especially when you are having difficulty establishing common ground.
  
  

Well-Informed Conversationalists

• Some people are generally good conversationalists and have a knack for small talk. They keep up with the latest trends and topics and are able to discuss them with ease. Appropriate small talk conversation topics that tend to illicit responses from others include advances in medicine or technology, sports, travel, best-selling books, movies or any big story in the recent news. Steer clear of religion and politics as well as any other controversial topic that is best left for discussing with your close friends.
  
  

Questions Leading to Conversation

• Even if you're not the best conversationalist and you're nervous or uneasy about starting a conversation with people you just met, you can still find a way to ease into a conversation. Invite the people you meet to talk about themselves. Appropriate questions and topics center on family, work or hobbies. Do you have children? How long have you lived in the area? If you know one of the guests has a particular hobby or interest, you can ask questions to open up the conversation in his favor.