Even if you have something really interesting to say, keep it to yourself until you’ve finished hearing what the other party has to say.  Perhaps they will address the comment you intended to make, or have additional information that would render what you wanted to say moot. If the person is talking to you about something you’re uninformed about, let them know and ask for a primer.  Usually, the person will be happy to oblige, and the conversation will become interesting both for you and for the other person, who is given the opportunity to share their knowledge of something they are quite familiar with and -- presumably -- passionate about. For instance, if your conversation partner says, “I recently heard a new planet was discovered near Earth,” you might say, “Oh, really?  I hadn’t heard.  Tell me more about it.” Whenever your conversation partner answers your questions, ask another question about the answer.  For example, if your conversation partner says she works in the makeup industry, ask, “Do you like it?”  If she replies that she does, because she gets free makeup all the time, ask her what type of makeup, or how much she is able to get for free.  Linking the questions and answers in a continuous chain will give the conversation a natural flow and keep things interesting for you and the other person. Don’t make your exchange seem like an interrogation.  Before asking follow-up questions, for instance, insert information about your own opinion or experience (or lack thereof) regarding whatever the other person is talking about. No matter who you’re talking to or what you’re talking about, try to look at the conversation as an opportunity to expand your own horizons.  If you can start a conversation with this attitude, the discussion will become more interesting for you, and the more interested you are, the more interesting it will be for the person who you’re talking to. If you don’t show interest in what the other person has to say, you might never get to the stage where the conversation is actually interesting.  Or, even worse, you might prematurely end a conversation that was just starting to get interesting.  Show your interest by maintaining eye contact, nodding your head a few times intermittently while they speak, and interject words of acknowledgment like “Right” or “Yeah.” If, after a few minutes, you’ve found that the person you’re talking to is uninteresting, or you sense that he or she is uninterested in you, depart from the conversation.  If, for instance, they are looking around, giving one-word answers to your questions, staring blankly, or crossing their arms over their chest, they are probably not interested in the conversation.   If the conversation is uninteresting to one of you, it will quickly become uninteresting to both of you. Don’t waste your time by trying to make the conversation interesting. Don’t take it personally if the person you’re talking to is uninterested in conversing with you. You might notice that the person you are talking to has a distinct style of talking and gesturing. Allow your tone and pace to match up with your partner's tone and pace. For example, if your partner speaks in a low voice, then lower your voice a bit. If your partner speaks in a  slow, intentional way, then try to do the same. This can enhance the conversation.   You might even be matching your partner's tone and pace without noticing it. For example, if your partner speaks rapidly and uses a lot of hand movements while speaking, then you might find that you are doing the same. Make sure that you do not try to mimic or copy your conversational partner in an obvious way. This may insult the person.

Summary: Don’t rush into your next thought. Admit ignorance. Ask follow-up questions. Try to learn something. Encourage your conversation partner through interested body language. Don’t force an interesting conversation. Pay attention to your conversation partner's pace and tone.


Author's names are listed in Chicago Style citations with their last name first, followed by their first name. If there are multiple authors, you reverse the order of the first author's name, listing the rest with their first names first.  For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent." Use "and" rather than an ampersand. If you're creating footnotes, you don't reverse the orders of any names. For example: "Lois Lane and Clark Kent." Don't include a comma before the "and" unless you've reversed the first name. The next information in a Chicago-style citation is the italicized title of the book. Generally, you should capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Don't capitalize articles, prepositions, or short words such as to or as unless they're the first word in the title.  For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. Superhuman Powers in Global History." If there is both an author and an editor, list the editor's name after the title. For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. Superhuman Powers in Global History, ed. Stan Lee." In footnotes, the authors' names are followed by a comma instead of a period. The book's title is still italicized. The next part of a Chicago-style citation provides the city where the book was published, the name of the publisher, and the year it was published. There is no need to include a state or country along with the city.  For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. Superhuman Powers in Global History. New York: Penguin, 2007." In footnotes, you would put the publication information in parentheses. For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. Superhuman Powers in Global History (New York: Penguin, 2007)." If you only used a single chapter or section of the textbook for your paper, you can add the chapter title and page numbers to your Chicago citation to direct readers to the part you used.  For example:"Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. "The Rise of Superman," in Superhuman Powers in Global History (New York: Penguin, 2007)." A footnote ends with the specific page where the information you paraphrased or quoted in your paper can be found. For example: "Lane, Lois, and Clark Kent. Superhuman Powers in Global History (New York: Penguin, 2007), 92." While academic publishers and many professionals prefer footnotes, author-date parenthetical citations frequently are used in the social sciences and other disciplines, particularly for undergraduate papers.  Include the last names of the authors and the year of publication, then put a comma and list the page or pages where the information can be found. For example: "(Lane and Kent 2007, 92)."

Summary: Start with the author's first and last name. Provide the title of the book. Include publication information. Add pinpoint citations for a specific chapter. Use the author-date style for in-text citations.


Music is a great way to set the atmosphere in your room. Opt for upbeat music if you want a pumping hangout or choose an acoustic or chill soundtrack if you want a more relaxed gathering. Play the music through speakers or straight from your phone or computer.  If you want to chat with your friends, make sure that the music is quiet enough to be able to hear each other. If you don’t know what to play, search for a hangout playlist on a music streaming site, such as Spotify or Apple Music. Activities are a great way to ensure that nobody gets bored. Table tennis, board games, darts, and computer games are great options that can keep you and your friends occupied for hours. Set the activities up before your friends arrive or keep them on hand in case you get a little bored later in the day. If you don’t have a lot of space in your room, try some vintage games, such as knucklebones, Ludo, or cards. Food is a great way to get everybody in a good mood! Have some crisps, popcorn, fruit, crackers, or other delicious snacks prepared before your friends arrive. If you don’t want the snacks to get eaten straight away, put them in a cupboard and then bring them out once you get hungry. Have a trash bag nearby to put your rubbish in so that your room doesn’t look messy from the food packets.
Summary: Play your favourite music to set the mood. Buy games and activities that you and your friends can do together. Keep snacks on hand in case your friends get hungry.