It’s common to visit a coffee shop where laptops users are spread about, enjoying a cup of coffee, taking advantage of free Wifi. And while there is nothing wrong with plugging in and working away, you’d be surprised by how many people want to be interrupted.
When I studied Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University, an unfamiliar woman approached me in a coffee shop while I was reading Foucault and Social Dialogue: Beyond Fragmentation by Chris Falzon. This book has forever shaped my life and the many conversations that followed with Lucy ultimately shaped Caffeinated Conversations.
If you’re looking to initiate a conversation with a stranger person, identify something that he/she is doing, and introduce yourself. Ask about their drink, the book held steadily in their hand, or the website being browsed.
Strangers can become acquaintances and acquaintances can become friends. And friends make life worth living.
2 Comments
Sounds like my local cafe… the Blue Marble. The barista’s are friendly, but once you sit down, it’s like a high school prom. Everyone sits around the outside of the room and just looks at each other! I wonder if people are dying for conversation or just wondering what everyone else is drinking… “ooooh look at that sexy latte.”
Anyway – Grats on the launch J! I am so excited for you!!
~K
I think people are often looking for conversation, but just don’t know how to get it started. I was at a coffee shop yesterday and the person next me was reading The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. We chatted for a few minutes about the book, he wrote down the name, the author etc. All you have to do is ask a simple question. It can be uncomfortable at first, but once you do it a few times, it’s easy.