Phrases to Start Discussions

So far in this lesson we’ve been talking about the techniques that we need to have really good discussions.

Now we need to look at actually some phrases that we can use to ask these questions.

So let’s let’s look at these.

This is a basic one but we could just say what do you think are the basic reasons.

What do you think are the most important reasons.

What do you think are the best ways.

All of these things are ways to get somebodies mind moving.

Why do you think the Internet but other than that whatever the topic is OK you’re just getting their ideas.

So what do you think are what do you think is and why do you think.

How could people or how could we you could use other things there.

You don’t have to use people.

This one how could people how could you How could I.

How could we.

Is a way to get somebody to give you a possible solution a possible answer to a problem.

And how could people get a really good education without needing to borrow eighty thousand dollars a year to go to a great university.

OK so what do you think about that.

Give me an idea.

How could we do this.

And I’m not going to go into that.

It’s just a question that we could ask if we want to discuss that.

And I’ve had that conversation many times I’ve asked that question many times.

If you were that debt what would you do to if you were the president of your country.

What would you do to solve the issue of hunger in poor areas.

Now we’re thinking about a hypothetical.

Remember we talked about a hypothetical question which is where we imagine it right.

If you were the president where you’re not the president but if you were what would you do if people who smoked didn’t need to worry about getting cancer what would be the result.

Would they still smoke or not.

What would smoking be really popular.

Would everybody do it or not.

Right.

We can think about these questions.

What would you do is even more open than the smoking one because it’s asking someone to describe an action.

OK.

So then they’re talking about steps.

First I would do this and then I would do this.

And it’s fun.

It’s really fun to explore hypotheticals.

So using this what would you do if is a really powerful way to get somebodies brain moving.

OK.

What do you think about now of course this is the most basic type of question.

What do you think about a.

And you can just say the topic.

What do you think about smoking in public.

Now people are going to give a very open answer a very wide answer so you can use that in any conversation at the beginning.

Just be careful with that one.

What do you think about smoking in public.

What do you think about poverty in your country but you have to know that when you ask that question some people might not have a great thing to say about it because maybe they haven’t thought about it before because of that.

Maybe the topic will go that way.

Maybe the topic will go that way.

Maybe the topic will go to and die.

You do have to be careful but it can also be a way to really get a conversation going and not push the person you ask in this direction or that direction give them total freedom first and then follow them go with them based on where they want to go.

That’s also a good way to to keep a conversation going to follow another person’s interests.