Happy hour is a chance to get to know the people that you work with on another level. This, in turn, WILL allow you to work better with them.
It is the curse of the Friday afternoon happy hour–the awkward conversation with the boring coworker. Luckily, my co-workers are fabulous (hi, co-workers!) but for those of you not so lucky, happy hour is an important time to be well-versed in your communication skills. No one wants to talk about work and if you don’t have something interesting to say you will just sip your cocktail through that teeny wrinkle-inducing straw, feeling stupid and boring in equal measure. Friday afternoon is NO time to feel stupid and boring. Save that sh*t for Monday.
Here are some conversation starters that will allow you to truly relax, seem interesting and avoid talking about work:
1) What are you doing this weekend?
If they say nothing, keep at it. “Oh, just relaxing, that’s so nice. Do you have a good book to read?” They are, in fact, doing SOMETHING this weekend, you just need to dig a little to find out what it is. Think of this conversation like a treasure hunt, where the treasure is dragging moderately interesting information out of people.
2) Did you learn anything new/interesting this week?
Someone asked me this during lunch one day recently, and I was blown away by the level of conversation this simple question allows for. You could also ask a variation, like “What was the best/most interesting part of your week?” to avoid the short “No” response popular with boring people.
3) Have you ever been here before?
Who knows, you might get a funny story out of someone. Again, if they say no, don’t be deterred, continue with something like “Where do you like to hang out?”. Remember, they have SOMETHING to talk about, you just have to figure out what it is.
4) Do you want to play a game?
Get your mind out of the gutter. Suggest a stupid word game like “Would you rather” or “Live, Vacation, Never Go” (the clean version of “Screw, Date, Kill“). As far as interesting questions for Friday happy hour go, games are number two (right behind vodka shots).
5) Did you read the article/see the exhibition/hear about the guy who….?
When all else fails, start talking about yourself. Think about something you read or did recently or a story you heard. Remember, YOU are interesting and fabulous. Find something to say.
When all else fails….
In really desperate situations, excuse yourself with decorum simply by saying “Excuse me”. Maybe they are having a bad day or trying to hit on the bartender and you are in their line of eye contact. Who cares? You don’t need to suck down your drink to make up an excuse to leave. Seriously, those straws give you wrinkles. And at least you tried. And hey, tomorrow’s Saturday!