Current Events and Socially Relevant Topics

• Use resources like newspapers, tabloid magazines, current events magazines, op-ed articles, celebrity gossip and biographies to find interesting, socially relevant or provocative current events or profiles of public figures to get party guests talking. Choose table topics that revolve around solving or examining an issue that may be important to the persons participating in the group discussion. For example, if unemployment is high in your city, a news article about unemployment benefits or a state program for job development could be a great table topic. It is socially relevant, requires some opinion, especially if one or more persons are dealing with unemployment, and can inspire members to talk about their efforts or offer advice.
  
  

Fun Table Topics

• Play a game like "The Side of Me Nobody Knows." Encourage everyone to write a secret, without identifying himself on the paper, and then put the papers in a hat or shoebox. Read each secret, allowing people to identify with it or guess who the secret could belong to in the process. For example, a secret like "I do the moonwalk in my apartment sometimes when no one is home" is a great talking point. For best results, encourage participants to err on the side of funny versus tragic or shameful. Explain that the point of the game is to have fun, while helping everyone get to know each other. If you are hosting the party, set the tone by having enthusiasm and leading the group in figuring out who the secret could belong to.
  
  

Use Movies as a Talking Point

• Use current or classic films to draw your guests into a conversation that can be both fun and interesting. Start the conversation with a classic film with which most people would be familiar. For example, talk about how Judy Garland delivered such a moving and powerful performance in "The Wizard of Oz" or how Robert Redford and Paul Newman made a great team as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Once your guests start to warm to each other, move to current films or start to analyze the classics previously mentioned. For example, talk about themes in the movies or how the music or soundtrack played a vital role in the enjoyment of the film. Open the conversation up to famous directors or screenwriters, if the group is especially familiar with cinema.