Group chats are probably the best way to stay in-touch with your community. Not only does it allow you to send updates and announcements to all your followers in one go, but it lets you connect with every one of them. And, an added benefit, they can connect with each other.
Seriously, we’ve seen some incredible friendships develop in Group chats. While they sometimes happen naturally, most of those connections take a little extra push. And there’s no better push than a few conversation starters. Here are our favorite discussion-starters that you can use in your own Group chat!
How Should I Use These?
There’s no right or wrong way to use these discussion-starters. We do suggest refraining from doing multiple a day, just so everyone can clearly follow and contribute to the conversation. You may choose to open your Group chat with a new one each day, or want to designate a certain day of the week as question day.
As your Group chat grows, feel free to reuse some of the same questions! Your following will grow, which means new people can contribute to the conversation. And people’s answers will change overtime, so it never hurts to ask again!
No matter what, be sure that you’re responding to as many people as possible. Whether you’re asking to learn more or just sending a quick “LOL 🤣” you’ve got to help keep the conversation going.
“What’s your big-ticket item for today? What do you need to get it done?”
Not only is this a great way for individual followers to check in and set goals for themselves, but it allows the entire Group chat to connect. They might inspire each other to tackle a long-avoided project or help each other with their big-ticket item. You can cheer on everyone’s mission for the day and lend a little support no matter where you are.
“Name a song lyric that always gets stuck in your head, no matter what.” OR “Name a song lyric that’s currently stuck in your head.”
At the very least you’ll get a few music recommendations out of this one. At most, your followers get to share what kind of music they like and connect over it! Maybe you have a Group full of classic rock fans, or one person shares their love of ragtime with everyone else. Music is one of the great uniters, so if you’re looking to build connections within your Group, this is a fantastic place to start.
To take it the extra mile, consider making a playlist of everyone’s recommendations. Or their ear-worms. We’re not picky!
“Let’s play a game of ‘Two Truths and a Lie.’ Share two true things about yourself and one sneaky lie. We’ll try to guess which one’s the fib!”
This is a really fun way for followers to get to know each other. It’s a classic ice-breaker and natural conversation starter. We play it all the time in our Clapper Talks Radio and always ending up asking a follow-up question. Because when someone says they have 19 streams of income or they fought a kangaroo, you have to learn more!
“Describe your day in emoji’s – let’s see if we can decipher it!”
Everyone loves an emoji (the carefully chosen ones are especially fun) and puzzles, so combine the two into this ultimate discussion-starter. This would be great in the evening, when most everyone has wrapped up their day and can give a pretty good summary of it.
“Lets get to know each other. Share a random (fun) fact about yourself! I’ll go first…”
It’s short, sweet, and to the point. Sometimes all it takes is a little prompting and people will start to open up. And, just like with two truths and a lie, people usually share fun facts that beg a few questions. Separated from their twin at birth, related to the King of England, grew up with a pet tiger – someone always has an unbelievable fun fact.
“Name a superpower you’d want to have, but with a hilarious twist!”
We’ve all been asked about our dream superpower, but it’s rare we consider a caveat. Not only will this tell you more about your followers, but it’s an exciting twist on an otherwise boring question. If you want to make it even more in-depth, ask them why they would choose that power and that twist.
“If your life had a mascot, what would it be and why?”
This is similar to asking what animal represents them, but with a slight twist. And you’ll see a variety of answers depending on where your followers are from and what interests them! Someone may say a possum because they’re always helping people, or a resilient follower might proudly say they’re a cockroach.
“It’s ‘Dream Dinner Party’ time! You can invite any three people, living or historical, to your feast. Who’s on your guest list?”
We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s a classic! You can tell a lot about a person by who they look up to. There may be some overlap between your followers’ answers, but that will only help them connect and bond. Afterall, there’s only one Princess Diana and only one Gandalf the Grey: we’re going to have to be good at sharing them.
“In a parallel universe, what alternate career path would you be rocking right now?”
For most people, this will be their dream job. But a lot of us reached a fork in our career-road and know exactly where we’d be. Jobs and past dreams can tell a lot about a person. Someone who wanted to be a doctor but ended up in marketing has a story. Don’t be afraid to ask the artist turned rocket-scientist how they got from one point to the other!
“Share a ‘this or that’ dilemma: Pancakes or waffles, beach or mountains, sunrise or sunset?”
Another classic conversation starter…usually with a few hot debates woven in. Try opening the Group chat with a new question everyday for a week or two. They can be simple, low-stakes like the examples above, or more ethical questions to really get people thinking. Just make sure the conversations stay light-hearted and no one takes it too far.
These are just a few discussion-starters you can use in your Group chat. The options are endless, and any ice-breaker or conversation catalyst will work well. Try these out, come up with a few of your own, or find some tailored to your content creation niche. Whatever you choose, just be sure you’re engaging with your followers and making them feel heard!