A List of Conversation Topics

As a part of the Speaking curriculum I've created for my class, I try to teach my students how to be good conversationalists. As a part of this lesson, I put them into groups to come up with a list of topics they could discuss and questions they could ask. I learned a lot about conversations, myself, this past weekend at a family wedding. I learned that, in fact, you can have a conversation about pretty much anything; you just need the right group of people. This past weekend, that group was comprised of my ridiculous, awesome, loving, crazy family.

The following is an addendum to my current list of possible conversation topics, compliments of my extended family, whom I love dearly:

1. what "lmao" stands for, explained in earshot of the hotel receptionist
2. drugs and alcohol and their effects
3. why dancing at a wedding makes you feel like you're in a musical
4. whether a "plain" appetite is considered picky
5. the Will of God versus the Will of Man
6. the growth of chin hair at an early age
7. how working, not age, makes someone old
8. the appropriateness of using holy water to make beer
9. babies and stretch marks
10. what is considered a successful "that's what she said" comment
11. spiritual gifts and whether the "miraculous" gifts are "dead"
12. what to do when a student tells the whole class that he hates everyone
13. the chunkiness of the new Taco Bell meat
14. repition in conversation
15. the pervasiveness of ADD and/or ADHD in the family
16. the hilarity of wearing tennis shoes at a reception
17. whether amaretto is actually an alcohol or just a flavoring
18. the size of shrimp
19. the assuredness of my mother harmonizing to songs played at the reception
20. how saying "it's not personal" doesn't always make things any better
21. whether cheating at card games requiring no skill is actually considered a skill
22. whether placing a group of chairs over spilled water on the dance floor actually constitutes as “cleaning up”
23. whether string cheese should be included on a cheese and cracker plate
24. the ability of my cousin to do the sprinkler dance and pour water on himself at the same time
25. baseball

I’m pretty sure I would tell my students NOT to talk about 99% of the preceding topics. Welcome, everyone, to my family!! :-D