Hot Topics of 2010 that Are Sure to Engage Conversation

Starting conversations with strangers or even acquaintances can sometimes be difficult. Job interviews, business encounters, small talk with coworkers, and even first dates can prove to be awkward if you don't have much to add to a conversation. Keeping up with current events can provide you with a level playing field, but it can also be exhausting sometimes. There are so many things going on in the world that you can't possibly keep abreast of everything. There are certain topics everyone seems to share in common though. Here are the top 5 subjects that will keep you engaged in conversation with just about anyone.

TALKING AMERICAN IDOL

Everyone knows about American Idol, especially during the audition process when there are so many comical contenders. With millions of viewers, American Idol has lead stories in the media since the show debuted in 2002. The most recent media attention surfaced after a man in his 60's auditioned for the show with his own song called "Pants on the Ground" (See Full Story)

TALKING NFL

Not everyone watches football and if they do, many have a favorite team and it might not be the same as yours. To have a conversation about football, you need to at least know who is winning and who is losing. It wouldn't hurt to know a little bit about each quarterback either. If you can talk football, you have a 90% chance of success in engaging conversation with pretty much any man in a business or personal setting.

If you are in tune with both American Idol and the NFL you would know that Brett Favre, quarterback for the Vikings (this year at least) sang his own rendition of the silly "Pants on the Ground" song after beating the pants off the Dallas Cowboys in their playoff game in January of 2010. The story was all over the media after the locker room event.

TALKING POLITICS

While politics is a common subject, people can be very passionate about it and it may not be in your best interest to voice your opinion, especially if you are taking an opposition on the topic. When engaged with a stranger that you need to impress or don't want to offend, sometimes it is best to just say, "I prefer to keep my opinion about that subject to myself." Most people will respect this comment and assume you are a private and non-confrontational person. But when it is appropriate to have that conversation, you will need to know the basics like who the president is this year and what's going on in the world. Watching CNN, FOX, or MSNBC once or twice a week should keep you in touch with what's new in Washington.

TALKING CELEBRITY GOSSIP

While celebrity gossip isn't always an acceptable topic, there are certain subjects that can't be avoided like the Tiger Woods Scandal. There was such a huge abundance of Tiger Woods humor in the office after the sex scandal that you would be a lost little lamb if you didn't have at least a crumb of knowledge about the incident. Any new information you could shed on the subject would be enough to make people listen to what you had to say. And while some of the jokes floating around might not be appropriate for public announcement at the office, it could create a great laugh between you and a close co-worker.

TALKING ABOUT PERSONAL CARE

While most people don't think of personal care as coming close to sharing the lime light with celebrity gossip or politics, it is a huge topic of interest for nearly everyone. Listen to people talking in the office one day and you will here a lot of chatter, especially during the lunch hour about diets, work out programs, and health fads. If you keep up to date with the latest, you can become a valuable source for others who don't know as much about nutrition or weight loss as they would like. Since The Biggest Loser came out on TV as a popular show, it has been a common trend for employers to host their own "Biggest Loser" as an office pool, encouraging health awareness at work. Employers are becoming more aware that people who are physically fit are more productive at work, spend fewer days off work with illnesses, and use their insurance less, keeping health related work costs down. If you can talk health and fitness you will find plenty of subjects that branch off from this topic and people will engage you with their own thoughts and opinions to keep the conversation going.