autisticscripts

[autisticscripts]

Small list of small-talk starter ideas

This is certainly not an exhaustive or definitive list, but hopefully helpful.

When you arrive to a location:

Wow, it sure is [windy/hot/wet/chilly/etc.] out there!

Good [afternoon/morning]! Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

Nice to see you again! I love the new haircut!

Hey, how's it going? I love your [shirt/style/shoes/etc.]!

Happy Thursday! Can't believe it's almost the weekend already!

Positive responses to "How are you?" or "How's it going?":

I'm great, thanks for asking! How about you?

Pretty good, just keeping busy! How are you?

Great! I had a great weekend, just [did ran some errands/went to the zoo/etc.]. What about you?

Neutral responses to "How are you?" or "How's it going?":

Doing just fine, thanks for asking! How about you?

Oh, you know, a bit busy but happy to be here. How are you?

I'm all right! What about you?

Negative responses to "How are you?" or "How's it going?" (don't use these unless you know the person fairly well):

I've been better, but managing! How about you?

Bit busy, bit stressed, but I'll get there. How are you?

It's been a tough week, but I''m okay! What about you?

When you meet someone for the first time:

It's so nice to meet you! Where are you from?

Great to meet you! I love your [hair/shirt/style/etc.]!

So wonderful to meet you! I was actually just about to run and [grab a coffee/get some lunch/get a soda from the break room]. Would you care to join me?

So nice to meet you! How are you liking [event/job/etc.] so far?

If you're a guest in someone's home:

Thanks for having me! It's a lovely place you have here.

Thanks for the invite! You have a wonderful home. How long have you lived here?

Thanks for hosting! I love your [décor/rug/sofa/etc.]!

With a friend's friend:

So how long have you known [mutual friend]?

Are you from around here?

[autisticscripts]

Generic medium-formal email template

Good [morning/afternoon],

I hope this message finds you well. [Actual message of the email]. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything further from me.

Thank you,

[Email Signature]

[autisticscripts]

How to have a conversation about a topic you’re not interested in or don’t know anything about:

Listen to what the other person has to say about the topic.

Ask a question about what they said. Asking them to clarify or explain something you don’t understand is great, but any question will do. All else fails, ask them to explain what they like about some part of the topic.

Listen to their responses and go back to step 2.

Do this until 5-15 minutes has passed, then change the subject to a topic of your interest, unless you are actually interested in learning more on this subject, in which case, go on for as long as you like.

Sometimes, they will say something like “I’m sorry to blather on about [topic].” This is an attempt at a conversational dismount. You can either say “no, it was fascinating, thanks” and then bring up your own topic, or you can say “no, it’s fascinating, please keep going” if you want to keep hearing about their topic. Note the tense difference (past -> moving on, present -> keep going).

I just thought I’d write a script for this, because someone who can’t / won’t do this came up in a Captain Awkward column, and listening about topics you have no interest in is a really useful skill to have and not often explicitly taught, particularly to boys and men.