Whether you want to start a conversation with a new guy or girl you find attractive or you want to get a training session off to a great start, a good ice breaker can help you make a memorable first impression. It can turn that first encounter with someone new into something wonderful that blossoms into lasting friendships and valuable partnerships.

　　不论你是想和心仪的男生或女生展开对话，还是想让一次培训课有好的开始，一句好的开场白有助于你给他人留下难忘的第一印象。它会让你和某人的初次见面变得非常美好，让你们之间发展出长久的友谊和有价值的合作关系。

　　A bad ice breaker, however, can be a recipe for disaster. It can spiral out of control pretty quickly and at best be a terrible waste of time or worse an embarrassment for everyone involved. So, how do you start a meaningful conversation with someone new and avoid embarrassments or awkward moments of silence? Where do you begin?

　　然而一句糟糕的开场白则可能引发灾难。它会让场面很快失控，至少也浪费了时间，搞不好还会让每个人都尴尬。那么你该如何和初次见面的人开始一场有意义的交谈，而且避免尴尬和冷场呢？你该怎么进行开场？

　　Understand that it is normal to feel a bit nervous when approaching someone new. Everyone gets a little shy at first; after all, you don’t know what this other person is like. The person could be a grumpy, mean guy, but the only way to know for sure what the person is like is to get over being shy and approach them. That person might turn out to be the nicest, kindest person you ever meet.

　　你要明白，和一个陌生人接近时感到有点紧张是很正常的。最开始每个人都会有些害羞，毕竟你不清楚对方是怎样的人。那个人也许是个坏脾气的讨厌鬼，但唯一确定这个人个性的办法就是克服害羞，去接近他。也许这个人会成为你所遇到的最亲切最善良的人。

　　Start by filling your idea vault with possible ice breakers to start a conversation and follow-up questions to sustain the conversation. Listen attentively to the other person’s responses because this can make or break your follow-up questions. To help you out with ideas for starting a conversation, here are ten of the most effective ice breakers you can use in different scenarios to get a conversation off and running.