Probably the most popular question about social skills, for women as well as men, is how to start a conversation. If you’ve been concerned that your mind will go blank and you’ll end up saying something dumb I’ve got 7 tips that should put you on the path to starting excellent conversations.

Get outside of your head:If you’re thinking of topics then you’re missing the point - the key to a great conversation starter is noticing the environment, situation and the person.

Get Inside Theirs: People are mainly interested in themselves. This reinforces "getting out of your head", what does the person say about themselves in the way that they dress, move and hold their body?

Situational Openers: Is there anything unusual in the situation that you can comment on and follow with a question? This is especially effective if something weird has happened!

Show Some Teeth: I know, it’s one of those tips that seems to have been around since the dark ages. But evolutionarily a smile indicates that you are not a threat.

Keep it open ended: Simply make sure that if your conversation starter is a question then it is open ended - this means that they cannot answer with only a "yes" or "No".

Match their state: Establish rapport before starting a conversation by matching their physical positioning, expressions - for example if you’re standing next to them.