• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Tricia Goyer HomepageTricia Goyer

Living God’s Word One Step at a Time

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About
    • My Testimony
    • Online Archives
    • My Family
    • Professional Bio
    • Adoption
    • Homeschooling
    • Mentoring
    • Speaking
    • Close
  • Blog
  • Courses
  • Books
  • Media
  • Podcast
  • Write that Book
  • Shop
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Community / Conversation Starters for Dinner Parties

July 8, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 8 Comments

Conversation Starters for Dinner Parties

junecleaver2

On a recent trip to California I was blessed to go out to dinner with my friend and co-author Ken Blanchard, his wife Margie, Phyllis Hendry (the CEO of Lead Like Jesus Ministries), and two other couples. One of the thing I love about Ken is that he’s intentional about everything, even dinner conversation.

I’ve been to many dinners, and I find that I usually spend time talking to the person next to me, and I don’t really getting to know the rest of the people. Yet, this dinner was different. As soon as our drinks were ordered Ken asked Margie to get out the discussion cards.

The rules were that we’d go around the table and everyone would pull a card and answer it. There were questions like:

What two political subjects are you most passionate about? and What is your greatest weakness?

I was amazed how deeply and passionately the questions were answered. I clearly remember one of the men—a very successful CEO—sharing about his struggle with turning over control to God. I was touched.

We answered a few rounds of questions as dinner was being served, and then just when I thought things were winding down, Ken asked one last, great question that everyone had to answer:

What are you most excited at this point in your life?

It was fun to hear what everyone was excited about. One woman was excited because some international students  she’d been mentoring had recently graduated. Another woman (in her seventies) was excited about the French lessons and art classes she was taking.

I walked away from that dinner party feeling refreshed and inspired. I felt as if I’d made new friends, and I saw my own life in a new way. I realized I could be more intentional about connecting with others, and I’d be given great gifts of understanding others’ hearts.

Next time you invite friends over, consider being more intentional about sharing insightful conversation, rather than just making small talk <click to tweet>. People love to open up and share what really excites them. They are often happy to share what how God is working in their lives. It’s up to us to let them know we do want to hear it, we do care. And when you taken time to listen, you never know how you’ll be changed.

Discussion Starters for Dinner Parties <click to tweet>

  • Do you have a life calling?
  • What’s your best organizational tip?
  • How do you decide what your priorities are?
  • What is something unexpected that has happened to you in the last year?
  • What are you most excited about today?

Going Deeper
I also found these cards that I recently ordered. I can’t wait to use them!

Finally, what is your favorite dinnertime discussion question?

Filed Under: Community, connect, friends Tagged With: Conversation Starters, Conversations, Dinner, Dinner Conversation, Dinner Party, Dinner With Friends, Discussion, Inspire, Ken Blanchard, Phyllis Hendry, Starter, Tweet


Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my newsletter, check out my podcast, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, or Instagram.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Read full privacy policy here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sally Ferguson says

    July 8, 2013 at 10:24 am

    I always hide in my food consumption. Thank you for the tips for getting my head in the conversation!

    Reply
    • Tricia Goyer says

      July 8, 2013 at 7:42 pm

      You’re welcome! I know you’ll enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Andrea Dutt says

    July 8, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    One of my all time favorite questions to ask is similar to what are you excited about. My question is “what is something coming up that you are looking forward to”? I love hearing people’s reply about vacations or trips and stuff like that! Thanks for the post!!!
    🙂

    Reply
    • Tricia Goyer says

      July 9, 2013 at 10:11 am

      I love this question! It sounds like a great discussion starter on Facebook, too!

      Reply
  3. Tesha Fritz says

    January 1, 2014 at 11:27 am

    Were those table topic cards any good?

    Reply
    • Tricia Goyer says

      January 2, 2014 at 11:22 am

      Yes, we love them!

      Reply
  4. boom beach hack tool apk,telecharger boom beach hack apk,download boom beach hack tool v3.19,Telecharger Boom Beach Hack,boom beach hack iphone,boom beach hack ios,boom beach triche apk,boom beach hack tool android,download boom beach hack tool,boom beach says

    October 5, 2015 at 2:55 am

    Au fond en totalitétout à fait est positivement facile à travailler,
    leading get attenante décompresser débuter le hack into proches para faire
    le contraste.
    18bac8249a5130b33bc914c0aff8c303

    Reply
  5. agar.io hack bot github,agar.io cheats ios,agar.io cheats for ipad mini,agario cheats,agario cheats reddit,agar.io skins mode,agario hack bot no survey,agar.io cheats cydia,agario cheats without download,agar.io hack bot tampermonkey,agar.io skins mobile says

    December 19, 2015 at 10:32 pm

    Once you aren’t above three hundred, the basic thought is that you have
    to hit spacebar and take in cells one-fourth your sizing,
    while keeping away from the cells which are 3x your own size.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Tricia Goyer Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© Tricia Goyer | Privacy Policy

Made with by SA Designs