What to Talk About With Friends & Ask the Questions Most Ignore

Your friends are your go-to sounding boards, but sometimes talk dries up! Learn what to talk about with friends and keep communication flowing. 

When you learn what to talk about with friends, you’re opening up a huge number of subjects that you can use to chat about until the early hours of the morning if you want! You’ll get to know your friend in a way you never did before. Plus, they’ll learn some surprising details about you too.  

Your friends are there for you through thick and thin. It’s a ‘ride or die’ situation which gives you the ultimate support during the good times and the bad. Of course, it’s a two-way deal too – you have to be there for your friend as much as they’re there for you.

Communication is vital in any relationship, and that’s what a friendship is – a platonic relationship. If you want your friendship to thrive and grow *of course, you do*, then keep the focus on fun, excitement, and keep things fresh. This stops everything being negative and the only conversations you have being about hard times.

[Read: Good friends are like stars: 18 ways to build lasting friendships]

Why is communication important between friends?

The problem with friendship is that we don’t tend to put as much effort into them at times. When our heads are turned, perhaps by a new love interest, it’s easy to put your friendships on the backburner. Before you know it, you’ve drifted apart. 

In theory, friendships should outlast everything if they’re true. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to naturally just tick along without any work. Communication and spending regular fun times together is vital. That means that even throughout life’s ups and downs, and the changes that occur to us as a result, your friendship will still be strong and endure. 

[Read: 75 interesting questions to ask a new friend and feel like BFFs in no time]

You might be wondering how often you should talk to you friends. And the good news is that there is no hard and fast rule. Some friends can go weeks without talking and then slot back into things like nothing has happened. Other friends speak every day. It’s about what’s normal for your friendship, but the key is to talk and connect on a regular basis to keep things ticking along nicely. 

[Read: How to make your life better through the right kind of friendships]

What to talk about with friends 

Are there any subjects you shouldn’t talk about, or is it a ‘no rule’ zone? Again, it comes down to how close you are! Some friends talk about everything, and I mean everything. While others might be a little more restrained. Learn what to talk about with friends. Never run out of conversation topics again, while keeping your friendship in top shape at the same time. 

#1 What’s going on in your life right now. Probably the easiest and most obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people skirt around what’s really going on and jump to odd topics of conversation!

Talk about what’s going on at work. Ask your friend what’s happening with them. Ask the how they feel about it, and talk about your own situation and what it makes you feel. This means that you and your friend are up to date with what is really going on in each other’s lives right now. [Read: What is a one-sided friendship? Do you need to cut them loose?]

#2 What you don’t like about your job. This one might sound negative but sometimes having a sounding board for the things you don’t like about your job means that you don’t feel quite so stressed! Your friend will probably make you laugh about the negative side of your job, and you can do the same for them too. This opens up the best things when learning what to talk about with friends – “in” jokes! 

#3 What is going on in the world. Your conversations don’t have to be all about the two of you. Make sure you talk about wider world events too! You might find a new point of view that you hadn’t thought of before, and your friend might gain the same from you. We can always benefit from another point of view. [Read: What are the main differences in male bonding vs female bonding as friends?]

#4 Who won the game last night. Knowing what to talk about with friends doesn’t have to be all deep and meaningful, it can be about your favorite sports teams and who does or doesn’t win! This is an easy conversation starter and a go-to when your chats dry up a little and you run out of things to say. 

#5 Future plans. What are your plans? What are theirs? By talking about your goals in life, it helps to make them more of a certainty. Also, it helps focus your mind on making them happen. Your friend can also give you advice on things and help you to get started with a plan to bring your dreams to fruition. They’ll also be playing a strong part in your success story. This is what friends are supposed to do! [Read: 12 life questions that’ll help you visualize your future]

#6 The latest music releases. “Have you heard Beyonce’s latest track yet?”, “I heard a great song last night, let me find it for you”, etc. These are ways to share music and become closer. Music is a great go-to subject because let’s face it, everyone loves music in some guise. This type of conversation can also help you both to broaden your musical horizons by discovering new music. 

#7 New food and recipes. What to talk about with friends? Food! Since the pandemic lockdown situation, we’re all trying new recipes that we’ve never tried before and a great subject to chat about with friends is food. Your friend can teach you how to make something new and you can do the same for them. You could even have virtual cooking competitions! [Read: 30 of the best ways to have fun with friends and beat the boredom]

#8 New books you’ve read. Sometimes, the only way to find out what books are worth reading versus the ones which are worth missing is through recommendations.

If you’re wondering what to talk about with friends, why not recommend some books you’ve just read, and ask if they know any new ones you could try out for yourself. It’s a great way to find fantastic tips!

#9 New travel plans you’re cooking up. Making future plans for weekends away and vacations together is a great way to keep your friendship alive and to keep you connected when perhaps you can’t spend as much time together as you’d like to. Do some research about upcoming music festivals or places you could go for a weekend together and chat about it. [Read: 14 fun things to do with your best friend and create lasting memories]

#10 What your family are doing. If you have children, you could talk about your little ones but if not, talk about your family and how they’re doing. Be sure to ask your friend how their family are. Ask questions about what they’re up to, otherwise you risk it sounding too ‘one sided’. 

#11 Relationship problems. This is an obvious one, right? If you can’t talk to your friends about what’s going on between you and your partner, who can you talk to? When thinking about what to talk about with friends, however, don’t make it all about problems in your relationship. Your friend might start to think that you’re just offloading on them all the time and that they’re some kind of therapist to you. It’s about balance. [Read: 25 personal questions to ask a friend and know what all best friends should know about each other]

#12 Recommendations for restaurants. I mentioned food earlier, but what about top places to eat? If you’re looking for a new date location, why not ask your friend if they’ve got any great recommendations? That helps them to feel involved and as though you trust their opinion, because of course, you do!

#13 New things you want to learn about. If you’re thinking about changing the direction of your life by re-training, your friend should be in the loop. They can give you some tips on what to study and what might suit you. Sometimes your friends can tell you more about yourself than you already know. 

#14 Your fears in life. Everything on this list has to work both ways, so if you’re talking about your fears, be prepared to listen to your friend too. If you’re worried about something, or fearful, talk to your friend and listen to their advice. In fact, it might be that they don’t even need to give you advice, sometimes just talking it out with someone close to you is enough to make you feel better. [Read: How to be fearless and set aside fear and live life fully]

#15 Decisions you’re not sure about. Before you take a leap of faith, have a chat to your friend first! This doesn’t mean you should always do what your friend tells you to do, but their insight may help you to avoid making a big mistake or may give you extra confidence that you’re taking the right step. 

[Read: What makes a good friend? The art of honing your friendship skills]

There are many options when deciding what to talk about with friends, but it really comes down to how close you are and how well you know each other. Simply keep those communication lines open for better friendship quality.

The post What to Talk About With Friends & Ask the Questions Most Ignore is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.